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    John Peralta Explodes Historic Technology into Three-Dimensional Diagrams

    “HOMMAGE” (2023), L.M. Ericsson “Eiffel Tower” telephone (c. 1890), steel, walnut, mono-filament, and LED lighting, 40 x 40 x 13 inches. All images © John Peralta, shared with permission

    John Peralta Explodes Historic Technology into Three-Dimensional Diagrams

    September 12, 2024

    Art History

    Kate Mothes

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    On individual strings of monofilament, John Peralta (previously) suspends every single component of historic gadgets, from Rollieflex cameras to Singer sewing machines. The Austin-based artist reinterprets iconic technology to create complex, three-dimensional exploded diagrams using real objects.

    Peralta recalls childhood memories of pulling a red wagon around the neighborhood with his brother. They would knock on doors and collect broken radios and tape decks so they could open the items up and explore what made each tick. Also inspired by the mind-boggling, mathematic renderings of Dutch artist M.C. Escher, Peralta spent a lot of time drawing with pencil and charcoal, and art eventually morphed from a hobby to a full-time pursuit.

    Detail of “The Three-eyed Raven” (202), Polliard – Bolex 16 mm film camera (c. 1950), wood, steel, mono-filament, and LED lights, 40 x 40 x 13 inches

    Fascinated by the history, function, and components of 19th- and 20th-century innovations, Peralta dismantles each item piece by piece, then meticulously strings up every part inside illuminated boxes. Elaborate film reels inside a Bolex 16mm camera or the gears and keys of a Hammond Multiplex typewriter are expanded to reveal the mechanisms’ inner workings.

    While he continues to focus primarily on antiques, Peralta is always interested in refining and experimenting with different methods and materials. “New Abnormal,” for instance, incorporates a 1980s boombox, with tiny figures that interact with its wiring or traverse its surfaces.

    In 2020, a Nashville hotel commissioned a large-scale installation of floating musical instruments for its lobby, and the artist is currently in progress on a sculpture using the original guitar that Robby Krieger played on The Doors’ first album. He’s also working on a commissioned antique binnacle, a stand on the deck of a ship where navigational instruments like the compass are placed.

    If you’re in Los Angeles, you can see the artist’s sculptures in a forthcoming exhibition about Pacific Standard Time, opening September 28 at The Loft at Liz’s. Find more on his website, and follow updates on Instagram.

    “New Abnormal” (2021), Sony “boombox” cassette player (c. 1980), aluminum, acrylic, fluorocarbon mono-filament, and steel cable, 48 x 26 x 69 inches

    “Professor Fox’s Fantastic Writing Machine” (2023), Hammond Multiplex typewriter (c. 1913), steel, walnut, mono-filament, and LED lighting, 40 x 40 x 13 inches

    Detail of “Professor Fox’s Fantastic Writing Machine”

    “Rolleiflex” (2023), Rolleiflex medium format camera, walnut, acrylic, aluminum, and fluorocarbon mono-filament, 26.5 x 17.5 x 25 inches

    Detail of “Rolleiflex” (2023)

    “A Stitch in Time” (2023), Singer Portable Sewing Machine (c. 1924), wood, steel, gold leaf, acrylic resin, mono-filament, and LED lighting, 26 x 35 x 15 inches

    “Black Powder” (2020), 1858 New Army Black Powder Revolver (replica), walnut, steel, fluorocarbon mono-filament, and LED lighting, 36 x 38.5 x 13 inches

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    A Swarm of Blocks Flocks to Human Presence in DRIFT’s Interactive Installation

    All images courtesy of LUMA Arles, shared with permission

    A Swarm of Blocks Flocks to Human Presence in DRIFT’s Interactive Installation

    September 11, 2024

    Art Nature

    Grace Ebert

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    Working as DRIFT, Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta (previously) have built their practice around excavating the intersection between nature and technology. In “Murmuring Minds,” a new installation on view at LUMA Arles, the pair utilizes the swarming patterns of birds, bees, and other social organisms to create an interactive work that responds to movement.

    Representing the human desire for cohesion, clarity, and organization, sixty compact rectangular blocks scuttle across the gallery floor. Each component is autonomous and algorithmically programmed to follow the viewer or scatter in their presence. The mechanical installation highlights an ever-changing interplay between the viewer and the collective, exploring how one informs the other.

    “Murmuring Minds” is part of DRIFT’s Living Landscape exhibition, which features a large-scale digital work that similarly responds to human motion. As viewers walk in front of the screen, a flock responds to them as predators, first coming together and then rapidly flying toward the audience The artists said in a statement:

    We developed the interactive dynamics into four types that we have observed in both nature and human society: The Leader, The Hunter, The Vortex, The Machine. The installation is an experiment and a question on how we generate choices, what our decisions are, and how these affect larger structures. How do we define leadership and control in a contemporary context?

    If you’re in Arles, you can experience the works through September 29. Otherwise, find more from DRIFT on Instagram. (via designboom)

    “Murmuring Minds” (2024). Photo © Finn Bech

    “Coded Nature” (2022). Photo © Finn Bech

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