This image of two creatures struggling over the same goal is a metaphor that you can apply to whichever futility you personally engage with the most. They were assembled from salvaged aircraft struts, but their design also owes something to the freight cranes that dominate the horizon near the Port of Oakland adjacent to my studio.
Tired of looking at pictures on the internet? Try looking at a real book!
This book is a survey of some of my favorite pieces from over the years 2000-2018. Currently 82 pages in length, this catalog is updated roughly annually as new work is produced.
You can purchase a copy here.
Softcover: $49.46
Hardcover: $66.46
This series is a study in how resource scarcity is linked to conflict. Each piece was assembled with components from gas pump nozzles (and other fuel consumption hardware) and various weapons.
This handy decision helper has a cheat switch on the back to pre-determine good or bad outcomes.
Sometimes art is serious business….other times not so much.
Sometimes it all feels like too much, but we carry on.
Ever find yourself in an endless loop of unproductive thinking? No? This machine can help.
This is a machine for emulating, and thus dispersing excess anxieties.
This is a commissioned piece, celebrating the age old enmity between Submarines and Giant Squid.
This piece was a commission, inspired by a clock that the client provided. The term “Time is money”, was a prominent feature of the original object, and thus became the central theme of the finished sculpture.
This is a multi-faceted espionage tool. Depending on the users intent it can scramble information, skew vote totals, or even reduce or extend the days of an adversaries life.
This piece is a monument to success, and the compromises we make to achieve it.
This essential tool helps distinguish the “good” guys from the “bad” guys on the battlefield of life.
This sculpture is designed to discharge angst. Turning the crank draws the users tension out, and transfers it into the helpless spirit of the figure on the stand. The alarm bell and flashing lights provide feedback to the user to indicate that the unit is functioning.
This was the first piece I completed during the initial days of the Covid 19 pandemic quarantine order. It is a continuation of my absurdist “Counterfeit Antiques” theme, and an attempt to process some of the angst of that moment. “Social Distancing” was the phrase on everyones lips, and there was great anxiety around coming into contact with other people. This tool was a joke suggesting an extreme level of assistance with ordinary tasks that suddenly seemed dangerous (like handshakes, and touching doorknobs).
This piece actually still functions as an electric jackhammer. I chose not to shoot video of it, because it mostly just succeeds at making a lot of noise.
My ambition with this piece was to make an object that could pass as a legitimate antique tool, but serve no obvious purpose. I really enjoy the experience of going to yard sales and puzzling over the arcane tools and objects I find there. I’m most drawn to the things I don’t really understand, so I suppose this sculpture is an attempt to provide someone else with that sense of mystery.
This piece was an attempt at making creative use of my large collection of electrical meters. The composition inside the glass jar is comprised entirely of the magnetic armatures and wire coils found inside analog meters. The hand crank power dynamo mounted on the base supplies an electrical current to the meters, making each needle jump and wiggle in unison.
Press release from the exhibit:
“Retro-Speculative” is artist Nemo Gould’s deep dive into the remnants of the machine age. Painfully aware that we are surrendering our experiences to the virtual realm, Gould strives to pull us back to the tangible through the materials and craftsmanship of the pre digital era. The result is an array of incredible sculptures carefully crafted from found materials, ranging from fantastic creatures, to animated narratives, to reimaginings of the nature and intent of tools. As the title would suggest, “Retro- Speculative” explores several themes from Gould’s broad palette, all seeking to engage the viewer through visceral nostalgia, and offering speculations on where we are going based on where we have been.
About the artist:
Self-described “Chairman of the Hoard” Nemo Gould is a master accumulator, of both materials and building techniques alike. His Oakland studio is a veritable museum of old objects and technology which he blends into his signature style of kinetic sculpture. His work pushes the limits of found object art and challenges the viewer to experience art through interaction and experience. Gould received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1998, and his MFA in sculpture from U.C. Berkeley in 2000. His work is featured in museums and collections throughout the U.S. and abroad.
About the venue:
494 9th Street is a pop-up gallery in a vacant retail storefront in Oakland. As rents soar, and the arts struggle to thrive, the pop-up concept is an increasingly relevant method for connecting artists with their communities. Partnerships such as these between artists and developers are key to preserving the cultural heart of any city. Please support this creative solution by joining us at the opening reception on October 19th.
Turning the crank on this sculpture causes the cluster of mercury switches and light bulbs to rotate. As each mercury switch makes contact, that bulb glows momentarily.
These helpful little machines are essential for any busy person who faces routine moral dilemmas. Simply turn the crank and move on.
Oxygen flow meters painstakingly converted to mechanical solenoid power provide the eyes for this piece. The brass face plate was textured by hand with a process known as engine turning.
The good people from Make magazine stopped by for a shop tour, and printed a little feature. https://makezine.com/2021/05/05/announcing-make-vol-77-machine-learning-and-more/
Get your copy below:
Announcing… Make: Vol. 77 — Machine Learning (and More!)
Near the end of 2020, when I had just finished moving into a new studio in Oakland CA, I had the privilege of being featured on the History Channel show: Assembly Required with Tim Allen, Richard Karn, and April Wilkerson. It was a competition build show, so naturally I lost. Still, it was nice to represent Makers to a broader audience, and it was a cool way to break in my new work space. You can watch the episode here:
https://play.history.com/shows/assembly-required/season-1/episode-2
Featured Artists:
Catherine Daley, Laurent Davidson, Chris Eckert, Mark Galt, Nemo Gould, Ned Kahn, Jerome Kirk, Thérèse Lahaie, Sean Paul Lorentz, Mark Malmberg, Martin Munson, Moto Ohtake, Bruce Shapiro, Camille Utterback
This is the second major iteration of my “War of Words” series. Inspired by advertising themes of the previous century, these pieces reference the current state of information warfare that we find ourselves in today.
One of the main incentives for riding a motorcycle is the ability to “split lanes”, or drive between cars in heavy traffic. The machine pictured here takes it a step further and allows the rider to literally split the traffic. The future is looking bright.
Information warfare isn’t new, the methods just change with the times.
