The Artist's Assistants

For this piece artist David Bowen built a tool, then had his assistants do all the work.  Bowen discusses his work for a 2007 Soap Factory (Minneapolis) exhibit in the video below.


Visit dwbowen.com to get a taste of the full range of work created by this artist (and his assistants).

Amplified Objects

In Augmented Sculpture Pablo Valbuena uses light, shadow and sound to animate a stationary structure.


The accompanying audio lends a haunting quality to the presentation. Like the soundtrack of a sci fi movie when something bad is about to go down. Cue the body snatchers.

The artist/architect discusses his work (in Spanish, some English subtitles).

Tiny Human Specimens in Jars!

Gabriel Barcia-Colombo has weird dreams.  The ideas for many of his video sculptures come from those dreams.  At least that's what he said (among other things) at the Play with Fire Festival Artist Talk last night.

To view a video documentation of  Animalia Chordata on Gabe's site click the image below.

Überorgan

Appropriately named, Tim Hawkinson's Überorgan was exhibited at Mass MoCA's Building 5 in 2000 and at the Getty Center's Museum Entrance Hall in 2007.


Hawkinson discusses his process on the PBS series Art 21 video below.

Digital Dance Floor

Dance Floor Moves, created by Feedtank, is an interactive projection that responds to movement.

I would love to see some old school break dancers incorporate this tech into a street show. It’s time for an upgrade, people! Take those linoleum slabs and cardboard boxes that you perform on multidimensional with a little digital enhancement. It could revolutionize the backspin.


The accompanying video was captured in front of Gaga Gallery in New York City.

The Wall of Sound... and Light

This has nothing to do with the infamous Phil Spector and his signature studio technique, but it is musical and it does involve architecture.  Building Music is an interactive installation created by Alberto García, Julio Obelleiro, Jorge Cano and Pedro Enriquez.

In this exhibit a building’s facade is effectively turned into an instrument. Each window represents a sound illuminated with color which is played when struck by the beam of a flashlight.


The video shown here was captured at the Urban Art Festival, White Night of Bucharest, September 2008. Go to playthemagic.com to see stills from the Bucharest event and other images of the exhibit applied to a building at the Spark Festival of Electronica Music and Arts, Minneapolis, March 2009.

Self-Aware Art?

This one pretty much speaks for itself, literally.

Before the Stranger's Eye is an interactive video installation created by Casilda Sánchez & Julio Obelleiro.  More than just a couple of synchronized videos, passing viewers are directly addressed through the use of “computer vision techniques.“

If art could talk what would it say? Sanchez and Obelleiro offer up their vision of that abstract conversation.

Before the Stranger's Eye. Casilda Sanchez & Julio Obelleiro from Casilda Sánchez

Robotic Orchestration

The Automatic Noise Ensemble is the creation of Spanish robot developer Carlos Corpa.

Give the band a moment to tune up and suspend all comparisons to Herbie Hancock's legendary "Rockit" video. Corpa's robots are more than just eye candy. They're actually playing the music.

Once they get it going the groove takes on a kind of "industrial, tribal, techno" sort of flava.

Zimoun

We are inspired by the work of sound sculptor Zimoun.

Zimoun : Sound Sculptures & Installations | Compilation Video V1.2 from ZIMOUN VIDEO ARCHIVE

Recycling Old Media

Just take those old records off the shelf... and turn them into artwork.
Those of us “of a certain age” have seen the distribution of popular music take on and abandon a number of formats. Vinyl records, audio tapes, CDs; that’s a whole lot of discarded tech. Check out how one artist is recycling some of it.  (Click image to view more photos on P.S.1 site.)


Now on exhibit at P.S.1 through April 5, 2009, Christian Marclay’s 28822 Records (PS1), 1987-2009.  Take a walk on a floor of wall to wall 12 inch records and search for some of your favorite artist. All genres of music are said to be represented in the exhibition.

Learn more about Christian Marclay.