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Spraygraphic Interview with David Bowen
By Spraygraphic | February 15, 2008
Spraygraphic Interview with David Bowen
SG: Please tell us about yourself?
DB: I am originally from Indianapolis where I received my BFA degree from Herron School of Art in 1999. I got my MFA degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in 2004 where I worked also with the Mechanical Engineering Department. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Sculpture and Physical Computing at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
SG: Where do you currently live and work?
DB: Duluth, Minnesota
SG: What mediums do you work with?
DB: I work with whatever materials are necessary to complete a project from plastic, aluminum, charcoal and paper to microcontrollers, circuits and transistors, even occasionally pink insulation foam and houseflies.
SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work?
DB: With a robotic device I generally spend one third of my time in the studio fabricating constructing and wiring the physical device. I spend another third programming the device to perform the function. The last third I usually spend testing and debugging the device. Often I begin with a very specific direction in mind of how a piece should behave and look but things do not always turn out exactly or at all as I planned. These unexpected glitches and bugs can often be the most interesting thing about a piece.
SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?
DB: I try to make it a habit to go to the studio even if I do not have a deadline or specific project I am working on. Usually just playing around with components can lead to something. We have some pretty amazing surplus stores in Minnesota. One called Ax-Man in Minneapolis and Central Sales in Duluth. Both stores are loaded with electronics, machine parts and all kinds of random stuff that can sometimes generate ideas. I am also very much a geek so I am constantly searching the internet to find new sensors, devices, materials and processes that can be used in a piece.
SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?
DB: My current work is concerned with aesthetics that result from interactive, reactive and generative processes. I produce systems, devices and situations that are set in motion to create drawings, movements, compositions, sounds and objects based on their perception of and interaction with the space they occupy.
SG: Can you tell us a little about your Pink Tree installation. How long did it take to construct and put up that exhibit?
DB: Pink trees was kind of a departure for me. I set up the installation last January at Hotcakes Gallery in Milwaukee. It consists of about 1000 small trees cut from pink insulation foam. With this piece I wanted to create something that combined natural and artificial forms and was kinetic without actually having moving parts. As far as installing it my wife Kristina Estell who is also an artist was a big help. The installation took a couple of days. If you check out Kristina’s work at kristinaestell.com you will see that she is very familiar with obsessive numbers of multiples.
SG: Your autonomous drawing devices look pretty fun. How that kind of work start for you and where do you see it going in the future.
DB: With the autonomous drawing device series I was interested in creating situations that could be set in motion and left alone to create drawings on their own based on the device’s perception of the space it occupies.
SG: Can you please tell us a little about your interactive drawing devices, in particular the sonar device. How much did it cost toconstruct and did you use your own money to complete the project or other funding?
DB: Altogether that piece cost less that $300. I constructed it as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota where I received a fellowship and teaching assistantship so I guess you could say it was funded by the University. To be honest the most difficult part was not the funding but the programing specifically scaling the values taken in by the sonar ranger to something that would work relative to the range of the servo.
SG: Do you have a favorite device?
DB: I don’t know if favorite is the right term but I am currently obsessed with a device I am working on called swarm which navigates a space based on the movements of a collective of houseflies. I am currently refining the device in my studio so I guess I think about how to make it work a lot and get very excited when I see it functioning.
SG: Do you sell any of the art produced from these drawing devices?
DB: I have sold a few drawings and videos of the devices in action.
SG: Where has your work been seen?
DB: Eyebeam in New York, Dangerous Curve in Los Angles, PASS-Parc d’Adventure Scientifiques in Belgium, Rxgallery in San Francisco, The Thailand New Media Arts Festival in Bangkok and The Soap Factory, Minneapolis to name a few.
SG: Where will it be seen next?
DB: I will be installing work at Spaces in Cleveland next week and Exit Art in New York next month.
SG: What is your dream art assignment?
DB: When I was a graduate TA one of my professors had an assignment for undergrads where they were given a pile of parts from the Ax-Man surplus store I mentioned earlier. These parts included motors, solenoids, switches, lights etc… and always a couple of random weird things like a doll arm, fake pink feathers, or shiny sequins. The assignment was to take these parts and create a kinetic sculpture. The students could use any type of construction method or technique. The only rule was that they had to use all of the parts that they were given. They could use them for their obvious purpose or alter them in any way but all of the parts had to be included in the finished piece. We would always get the most fascinating and disturbing things. I continue to use this assignment with my students.
SG: What is your favorite color?
DB: Blue
SG: What book/magazine are you reading this week?
DB: I really enjoy Make magazine
SG: Ever do a self portrait? Where is it now?
DB: Yes, in undergrad we did self portraits all semester long in one drawing class. Thankfully they have all been destroyed.
SG: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
DB: the studio
SG: Any final words of advice?
DB: work hard
ART:
1 & 2) Growth Rendering Device, 3) fly drawing device, 4) 50 drones, 5) 72 stems, 6) self shading device, 7) Pink Trees
Topics: Artist Interviews, Sustainable Living, Technology and Gadgets |
