SOLAR AIRSTREAM FAB LAB: ART MIAMI

Sunday, December 7, 2014

ART MIAMI

Gallery and Museum hopping at Art Miami we came across a few familiar faces like Kenneth Snelson whom Paul has exhibited with many times including the International Exhibition 'Contemporary Art and the Mathematical Instinct'

Above all the classics are holding up well, it was great to see the collection of fine art tapestries shown at the Jane Kahn Gallery by Magritte, Leger, Le Corbusier, Picasso, Stuart Davies, Miro, Delaunay and Calder. The colors are as vivid as the day they were woven.

These early 20^th Century tapestries were created at the world famous Tapestry Atelier Aubusson in France between 1930 and 1970. The artist would collaborate with the weaver in producing the cartoon for the loom.

The weft and warp of the tapestry is made up over time, layer by layer similar to the RP process we are using today. In reference to Charles Babbage's visionary computer of the 1840's Ada Lovelace King is quoted as saying:

''We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jaquard loom weaves flowers and leaves" 1843

At the Margulies Collection one of the most intriguing pieces for me was ‘Trash Stone #412’ by German artist Wilhelm Mundt. It is the largest one created to date and consists of an accumulation of trash/junk from old computers to who knows what wrapped, weighed and beautifully layered up in colored resin like a hot rod candy coat.

Our next stop was the Miami Ad School to check out the street art which can be found proliferating throughout the Wyndwood area. The Ad school uses a couple of Airstreams as classes and it was interesting to chat with the founding director Ron Seichrist who had invited many of the worldwide graffiti artists to tag the school.

Greeting us at the Wolfsonian Museum was 'The Wrestler' a 1929 aluminum sculpture by Dudley Talcott (American 1899 - 1986) was created for the Tenth Olympic Games in Los Angeles 1932. Passing likeness to Disney's Iron Giant.

Also on show was 'Myth and Machine' a rare collection of WWI prints, lithographs, sculpture and drawings some of it was quite disturbing as in these graphics of war wound victims.

The exhibition focuses on the role of myth in giving comprehensible form to the shattering realities of the war, and on the relationship between humans and machines as a key theme of wartime visual culture.

This obscure watercolor and collage by an Italian war artist represents a journey 'Volo su Vienna, 9 Agosto' 1918. A journey of horrors.

The hybrid alchemical work 'Sprache der Vogel' by Anslem Keifer is a 3 ton mixed media sculpture which translates as 'Language of the Birds'.

'The ideology of alchemy is the hastening of time, as in the led-silver-gold cycle which needed only time in order to transform lead into gold. In the past the alchemist sped up the process with magical means. That was called magic. As an artist I don't do anything differently. I only accelerate the transformation that is already present in things. That is magic as i understand it.' Anslem Keifer 1989

After so many Art Fairs we finally reached visual overload just like Guetta aka Mr Brainwash ; an operation that attempts to fuse historic pop imagery and contemporary cultural iconography to create a hybrid of pop–street art. Spewing up every cliche in a conflated over simplification of every other art trope.

Next Stop Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida : Life is Magical!

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About

Utilizing the mobility of the solar fab lab ; The Airstream houses Paul Higham’s custom built rapid prototype machine where he manifests objects from data, whilst Coral Lambert is enabled to work at each site developing environmental foundry processes.

Both artists are internationally recognized in their chosen fields that span the spectrum of current sculptural practice. Paul Higham comes from a highly conceptual background having studied at Goldsmiths College in the early 70's London and Coral Lambert comes from the formal steel sculpture tradition of Sir Anthony Caro in the mid 80"s. From these roots they continue to pioneer their own path.

Never wanting to be without a studio again the couple bought the Airstream after Hurricane Katrina flooded and destroyed their 33,000 sq ft home studio in New Orleans. It is not only an American icon of a utopian dream, it is also the symbol of freedom, innovation and independence that comes to life.

Please contact us if you are interested in the Solar Airstream Fab Lab visiting your institution for a lecture, demo or Airstream Exposition.

Making it Happen

This is primarily a self funded project, partially financed by giving lectures, demos and expositions if you are interested in providing additional support please note that all donations will go towards making the Solar Airstream Fab Lab more progressive and productive. As a donor you will receive a special postcard report from the road or even a visit from the Airstream itself! We will let you know how we spend the donation, it could be anything from gas to a new solar inverter or other equipment. Any amount is greatly appreciated. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Artists Bios

PAUL HIGHAM

Is internationally recognized as a pioneer of digital sculpture and progenitor of ‘DataSculpture’ working with Virtual Sculpture and Prototyping technologies in the fine arts for over 30 years.

Born in Scotland in 1954, Whilst at Liverpool Art School in the early 70’s he was taught by Arthur Ballard. He went on to study Video and Painting at Goldsmiths, alongside Sculpture tutors Michael Craig Martin. Rather than study Art History Higham studied John Von Neumann and Wittgenstein under August Weideman, a direct pupil of the philosopher. During Higham’s time at Goldsmiths Carl Placman referred to Higham’s work as “Schematic entropy machines“. These conceptual works specifying autonomous domain states became sculptural schemas in the late 70’s. By the 80’s he was able to make these domain states truly ‘Operational’ through computation, his endeavor has remained consistent to propagate a new form of art based on self-organizing theories of artificial life.

In 1985 – 87 he became a resident at the Madhyamaka Tibetan Buddhist Monastery where he studied for the Geshe Degree {Lo-Rig} in “Mind & Cognition”, this was the first time it was offered in the west. This research has directly influenced the current work in the ‘Thought Forms’ exhibition.

Higham came to the USA in 95 to carry out advanced research residencies at the University of Minnesota in rapid prototyping and V.R. medical visualization labs: he harnessed these emergent technologies to produce digital art. During this period he was a resident artist at MVS Mayo Clinic Immersive Haptic Laparoscopy (remote surgery) utilizing haptic force feedback technologies as well as spending 3 yrs at the “Human Machine Design Lab” as resident artist building neural interfaces and data gloves. This is when he developed ‘DATA SCULPTURE’: using information theory, heuristics and real-time data mining to create emergent forms.

Also at this time he developed a relationship with Stratasys Rapid Prototype Corporation, Sensable and Geometrix using scanners to digitize objects volume by volume at a distance which Higham termed ‘Space Sampling’. The abducted coordinates of that object were then turned into a digital mesh or virtual 3D representation of conditional states. Thus following up on the inquiries he began at Goldsmiths College of Art, London.

Higham continues to use new media, sound, A.I./ virtual reality, haptic force feedback, cnc, rapid prototype and 3d printing technologies to directly engage the possibilities of algorithmic generation to make physical ‘Data Sculpture’ as well as drawings, maps, performance and interactive works for real-time, web and installations.

Higham has lived in London, Manchester, New York City, Minneapolis, Chicago, New Orleans, The Netherlands and currently resides in Upstate New York where he has an extensive digital sculpture studio. His works are in private collections and Museums.

CORAL PENELOPE LAMBERT

Is internationally known for working in cast metal as well as producing large scale outdoor pieces. Over the past 24 years she has utilized the foundry as a laboratory to explore the process of ‘speeding up the work of nature’. Responding to metals history, its weight , permanence and impermanence. In its transience liquid state, she treats it is a material with life as it breathes, oxidizes, and grows, replicating nature, emerging raw and elemental as if raised from the earth’s depths by volcanoes or formed like billion year old meteorites.

Currently Professor of Sculpture at Alfred University, New York where she directs the National Casting Center’s Foundry. She studied Sculpture in England receiving her MFA in 1990. Her work can be seen around the world at the Barbican Center, London, Franconia Sculpture Park, MN, Grounds For Sculpture, NJ, Salem Art Works, NY, Pirrkala Sculpture Park in Finland, HuiAn, China, Museum of Steel Sculpture in Ironbridge, Museum without Walls, NY, The National Metals Museum in Memphis, Governors Island, Manhattan, Salem Castle, Germany and Kidwelly Caste in Wales. She just completed her most ambitious Fire + Iron Earth Work ‘Volcano Furnace’ which is permanently sited at Pedvale Sculpture Park in Lativa.

Coral Lambert is the recipient of awards including the Gottlieb Foundation Award, Jerome Fellowship, and the Joan Mitchell Grant.