Ruins

As I delve deeper into this idea of nature reclaiming the remnants of human settlements I begin to think about historical examples. In both eastern and western hemispheres, civilizations have flourished and failed leaving behind what they had built; today we see them in a state far removed from its original façade. The Maya and Inca of South America bring more of a mysterious look to their ruins. The simple and incredible architecture lends more to visual interest than the Egyptian pyramids and their environment in the jungle eludes more to reclaiming. However there is the other side of the world. Recently in Iraq, there has been a massive drought and because of this drought, the water level of the Euphrates river has dropped revealing ruins. Let’s see where this takes me.

Nature reclaims it

Its amazing how nature seems to effortlessly reclaim most of its resources back from us. Whether it is through corrosion or decomposition, nature finds a way to reclaim. It may take several years but ultimately nature will take back what belongs to it. Over the past year the History channel has been playing a show called life after people showing what would happen to earth if people just vanished and all the stuff we built is left behind. The affects of decomposition is what im going to look for. The way things look when they are being taken back.

I like the way this is turning out...

In the past week I’ve played with changing my way of making deteriorated looking scenes. Maybe its time to explore some more into this aesthetic of a forsaken or wasteland like scene. Ill be looking at monolithic structures for guidance and to nature and its ability to reclaim for a path to follow. It’s a new direction for me inspired by the push my professor gave me the week before for a piece that “broke the frame/rim”. Ill give it a try on a whole new level.

A change in direction?

So I’m beginning to break past this barrier I created for myself. The sources I’ve been looking at were of a specific thing (engine blades). But I’m beginning to focus now on the whole machine itself.. the way it interacts with the surface or thrown piece it will go on. So I’m looking for images of crashed aircraft and I run into a fan favorite of Yoda’s home planet and Luke Skywalker’s plane in the swamp. So that’s when I decided to make a scene similar to that with one of my pieces. Its amazing that an insignificant scene like that in a movie can inspire the mind of an artist working in a totally different medium.

machines

In my search for the perfect imitation I began to realize that my work was heavily reliant on process. The source imagery is beginning to dictate the way my work is going to look in the end. I think that ill look more into the busted piece of machinery. A fine tuned machine that has been corroded or been damaged in some way. The works of Steven Montgomery have triggered ideas that I have yet to figure out the technical issues with but I’m excited to continue this exploration into a more complex industrialized aesthetic I’ve chosen to follow.

disasters

Historically speaking, airplanes have been the safest way to travel. They have had a fail to success ratio better than any other mode of transportation. But when these big metal birds fall out of the sky it’s an event to remember. As sad as it may be, the aftermath can make for an interesting source of inspiration for anyone who can find the beauty in disasters. Several artists have found disasters to be inspirational as well, the better known one is of course Richard Notkin. His work is far more superior than anything I can make at the moment but it is a good goal to set for myself.

snail shells and salt boxes

It’s easy to forget scale when you translate your imagery from your sources to your work. It’s also easy to forget how complex something can be. I have spent some time around engines and engine parts enough to feel comfortable around them. Familiarize myself with looking at them in pieces rather than the whole thing as well as their immense size. That's not to say they are all really big, its just that more often than not, its the one you see when you go to the airport. And sometimes the work can take straight from the source. So as I make my work the scale and complexity is eliminated. So the next option is to try and unlock that look for the work. The question is how?

propjets and venturies

To see a simple form is to see potential for its growth. A cylinder can become more than just those simple forms that were all familiar with. As my exploration of the cylinder’s industrial usage continues I’m beginning to see more and more how the cylinder is put to use, and how it only takes a slight variation in order for it to achieve a specified purpose or task. That purpose is what is beginning to peak my interest. This is especially true when it comes down to the jet engine, cylinders are used to make thrust, the power that makes planes float through the sky. It’s incredible the amount of engineering it takes to make these power plants work, yet the basis for it is the same idea as a venturi burner with the addition of propeller blades… dozens of prop jet blades. It’s an interesting connection to make and something that may lead to a greater understanding of the cylinder.

its round

The feasibility of the circle is something we use every day but we take for granted more and more as new innovations begin to emerge in this fast moving society of ours. The new inventions become old relatively fast, but one thing has remained constant throughout the pages of history, the circle. That’s not to say squares and triangles are useless, but the circle has reached dominance over everything else except the line. What we are seeing above is the circle as it is used in industry. Piping, fasteners, and jet engines, they are cylinders, in essence a repetitive circle. Within each of these things lie purpose and with purpose comes a unique look that can only be achieved when given purpose. It may seem paradoxical but it makes sense and makes for a perfect subject matter to mimic and alter.