| Electro Mechanical Assemblage is built to be plugged in, turned on and set in motion by the viewer. Unlike more static forms of art, the viewer does not simply see what the artist experienced but rather has an experience of their own in real time as a result of direct sensation. The viewer pushes a button or steps on a footswitch, setting off a mechanical cycle. Light bulbs blink, plates spin, gears turn, reciting a motorized mantra while performing a ritual task. Machines chanting. Machine motion becomes pure operation without objective or consciousness.
Electro-Mech sculptures are constructed entirely from the consumer discards of our mass-produced ready-made culture. The train of thought begins with the objects we all grew up looking at in the kitchen, in the garage and in the basement. Serving trays, lamps, egg beaters, jello molds, bookends, all trigger a rich source of associative memories. These objects are cleaned, but never painted. Components are found, never fabricated. New identities begin to emerge as these objects are freed from their utilitarian bondage and given alternate functions.
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