“The Pursuit of Joy” was commissioned by a couple of cycling enthusiasts (one of whom’s name is Joy). They wanted something for their home that reflected their passions, yet held true to my aesthetic. It bears a strong resemblance to my sculpture “Nowhere Fast” from 2009.
Au: Chemical symbol for gold – Ra: Ancient Egyptian solar deity
“Megalodon” is the ultimate apex predator. Emulating the elaborate action-figure play-sets of my youth, this piece appears to be a Shark from a distance. Closer inspection reveals it to be a vessel, part submarine, part spaceship, teeming with the activity of its crew working at their respective tasks. This project began as a salvaged wing fuel tank from a F-94 bomber plane, and thousands of other lovingly hoarded, and hand crafted objects. The final effect is of a “Grand Miniature”. The viewer is both dwarfed, and empowered in its presence. Please watch the video above for a more full experience.
I’d like to thank:
Ken from Universal Metal Polishing for helping me put the shine on this thing.
Christopher Potter for this video, and some of the photos.
Arthur Gould (My Dad!) for the eerie soundtrack.
If you’re looking for a shorter version of the video, you can find it here.
This piece is intended as the dark other half of my previous “Deus Machina” sculpture. Together I see them as a sort of yin and yang in my universe. This one features deep red light effects and a hidden smoke machine. I had difficulty capturing these features, so please browse the various documents on the page to form a fuller sense of it.
The Gaslight was originally designed as a pirate vessel. The ship would surface near land, in foggy conditions and mimic light house signals in order to attract oil tankers, then attack and drain them. The design was so effective it was later adopted by oil companies as a low cost alternative to drilling, and eventually the Navy for diplomatic purposes.
Petroparasite feeds on petroleum products. Its size is limited only by its access to food supplies such as automobiles and construction generators.
This piece evolved from observations made while watching my 3 year old son play with the steering wheel and radio buttons in our car. I told him “We can do better” and this is the result. The dizzying array of analog interface elements are equally engaging for children and adults.
Here we have a giant, mulit-armed, multi-faced, dual-zombie-powered, mercury-activated, electro-mechanical monster!
This sculpture uses an effect known as a “Jacob’s Ladder”. A high voltage arc is produced by way of a neon sign transformer, and then transmitted up the electrodes in the sculptures head. I’m personally very pleased with the movement with this one. All the action is generated within the abdomen. The little pistons in the ankles act as shock absorbers to smooth out the motion.
Cycloptopus is a fearsome hybrid of two of my favorite monsters, one real, one mythical. This creature is particularly dangerous because of its irritability. You’d be irritable too if you were powered by an open flame and your body was made of wood.
Inspiration came in the form of an old conga drum and some military surplus missile fins that just happened to be the same off-white color. A counterweight mechanism is hidden inside the rocket so that it rolls in an elliptical motion when activated. The lights and motors are each controlled separately by way of a wireless remote control (this way the piece can be installed at great heights without causing complications in wiring).
Here is another Homunculus themed piece. Like its predecessors (Little Big Man, Homunculus, Minotaur, etc) the larger figure appears to be controlled by the smaller one inside. In this piece I was also able to put to use some nice old mercury switches that I had been saving for a special occasion. As the figure tips back and forth as he “walks” the mercury flows from side to side, causing the corresponding indicator light to come on.
Believe it or not, it can be quite difficult to make a living as an artist. PoBot is at once a self-portrait, and a solution to this problem. The sculpture will not function without a deposit of 25¢. This buys the viewer several seconds of entertainment and pays for several seconds of studio rent for the artist.
This character suffers from moral ambiguity. He is perpetually torn between Bad and Good (see the meter in his chest).
In 2007 I made a large insect sculpture titled Guzzler that had a gas pump “nose” and a glowing thorax. It was a good piece, but it was built under the time pressures and facility limitations of the wonderful artist in residence program at the S.F. dump. Ever since I have wanted to re-examine the same themes and materials but with more attention to detail. This seemed as fitting a time as ever to also look into the form of the Praying Mantis. One of the coolest creatures nature has to offer in my opinion. I have worked with this form before, but only in two dimensional pieces. I hope you enjoy the results as much as I do. I feel it is a good balance of beauty, menace and vulnerability.
All photos this page: Sibila Savage
I can’t really say where my obsession with tentacled sea monsters comes from, but the condition is clearly present. This one gets its title from the acoustic guitar that forms its head. The sculpture hovers off the wall about six inches allowing the florescent bulbs installed within to bathe the wall with green light. A very cool effect in low light situations as shown in the last photo of this series.
This piece is a direct descendent from my earlier “Little Big Man” sculpture. Both terrible beasts are compelled by the little benign robots within their bellies (aren’t we all?), though this one features some more sophisticated movement in the arms.
A motion sensor starts the little robot working at his machine. One third of each rotation of the big wheel activates the motors in the monsters arms. All the while the Minotaurs head nods rhythmically back and forth in his helmet.
Much like in a previous piece: Psychos-O-Matic, this sculpture is themed around self abuse. Not the intentional kind mind you, but the unwitting variety. Our poor hero pedals diligently at his machine to get away from the persistent clubbing on his head, while all he needs to do for relief is to stop pedaling.
This piece was built by request of the San Jose Museum of Art for their show “Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon”. Knowing that it would be surrounded by other robot sculptures I felt compelled to use more wood in its construction to help set it apart from the crowd. I also wanted to further explore the “inner world” feeling that I got from my “Alcohologram” piece a few months earlier. I am pleased with the resulting split personality that this piece has. Equally tough and vulnerable. A motion sensor activates the motors whenever a viewer approaches.
This was the title piece for my Artist in Residence show at the San Francisco Dump. I wanted to make another large scale sea monster to contend with my Giant Squid sculpture.
I had originally considered calling this piece “Foreign Policy Machine”, but that seemed kind of heavy handed. At any rate, he is clearly a big consumer.
This one drives me nuts because I think he’s terrific, but I can’t seem to get a photograph that will do him justice. He is deceptively tall (8 feet), and has springs mounted in his shoulders so that the slightest upset will produce a lot of waving around. No power needed for this one.
This piece was built on commission for a private collector, who was inspired by my Goliath sculpture. The sculpture is activated by a motion sensor, and has since been installed out doors.
I have been fascinated by the Giant Squid for quite some time. A real life, terrifying mystery of the deep.
This sculpture was built to be a prop for a short film titled “Land of the lost”. The film was shot, but never produced.
To make up for it, one day I found a bunch of people doing a fashion photography shoot right outside my studio door. After talking a bit we got some really fun photos.
This monster features a faux fire place in his belly. Perhaps the first wood burning robot ever invented! Standing at nearly 5 feet tall with kinetic arms and mouth, he is excellent for home security or romantic evenings.
This piece is an homage to religious art in all its variety. The winged figure in the center gradually ascends and descends between Paradise and the Underworld, while figures symbolizing power and wealth maintain balance to each side.
This piece was built while I was a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley. I was finding the social environment a little stale, and set out to build some company.
Goliath is one of my most well known sculptures. Originally built as part of my MFA show at U.C. Berkeley, he was later purchased by a private collector and installed in his front yard in San Francisco. Unfortunately Goliath’s anatomical correctness roughly equated his political incorrectness and his new neighbors took violent action against him. The damage was not dire however, and the sculpture was re-built. The video above shows Goliath in his original context as part of my MFA show, and then later at his permanent home.
This was one of my first kinetic pieces, built while I was an undergraduate at the Kansas City Art Institute. The carved wooden jaws snap open and shut as the piece rolls across the floor. This sculpture was purchased by the American Compressed Steel corporation for winning their art from salvaged materials competition.
