Alexander's what? how why

First draft here:

work one

The Rose of Baltimore was a public intervention in which black wax bricks were placed into potholes in Baltimore, Maryland. Each hole was filled with one wax brick with the word “ROSE” inscribed. The bricks were placed in the cities decrepit roadways near other infrastructure which contained language - most notably the Baltimore water system valve caps engraved with the word “WATER.” Around each brick, new asphalt could be seen filling the space which the block did not fill in the hole.

Each brick was cast from a found original in New York. The original brick was made by The Rose Brick Company, a now defunct New York State brick manufacturer. The initial piece was cast in heat-resistant silicone to form a workable mold. Paraffin wax and black pigment were melted and combined before being poured into the single, original mold. Once in Baltimore, potholes were found and mapped according to their proximity to other language found in the street. One brick was then placed in each hole and surrounded by cold set repair asphalt to level the ground around the brick.

Potholes become dangerous for motorists and cyclists, thus for pedestrians as well. Baltimore, Maryland is a city full of urban blight. To alleviate this, the bricks were placed to assist the city in the refurbishment of its necessary infrastructure. Besides the crumbling roadways of Baltimore, the cities water infrastructure is also failing. For this reason the bricks aimed to change the language on the cities street by inscribing them with the words “rose water,” a product famous for its healing effects.

works two

Gas Split Evenly 6 Ways is a video in which an oil drum gives an 8 minute dialogue. After an introduction of running water and music, it cuts to a wooded area and the barrel is seen in various positions and locations within this setting. A high pitched frequency is heard in the background throughout, and the voice of the barrel delivers its words in a casual, monotonous manner. In some of the shots, it can be seen that the barrel has an animated mouth which is speaking, forming a disparate narrative of a disgruntled filling station employee.

The empty oil drum was purchased for $15 from a crane repair shop in Brooklyn, New York. It was originally filled with petroleum lubricant used to oil the cranes’ moving parts. The barrel was driven to woods in Upstate New York and filmed with a digital camcorder. During filming, it was carried around the woods for two days using a wheel barrow. The video and sound were edited by the artist, while a collaborator in Los Angeles rendered the barrel’s 3D mouth. The script was formed from reconstructed text found online from Yahoo Answers and various scientific sources.

The aim of the video is to render the inanimate object of the barrel into a living, cognitive being. The dialogue is formed by humans who would potentially come into contact with a petroleum drum, from the oil headquarters to the refinery to the filling station. The drum is illustrated as a receptor for the dialogues and emotions of these people. This gives the barrel a new life as an empathetic, critical device. The 3D rendered mouth becomes the embodiment of the barrels animism.

work three

The Jug was a performance delivered in New York. A 6-gallon clear glass jug sat on stage in front of an audience. The jug was introduced by the artist with a recital of incomprehensible speech. A microphone was then placed at the opening of the jug, and a low voice could be heard through the venue’s speakers. The voice of the jug recited a 6 minute speech in which feelings of emptiness were explored.

The Jug was purchased from a store in Brooklyn, New York which specialized in home beer brewing. Nothing was done to alter the appearance of the jug. The jug’s speech was recorded and manipulated before being transferred to a sampler which could start the dialogue. The text was constructed of quotes from famous artists regarding their own struggles with the feeling of emptiness. The jug was carried to the stage and placed before the crowd. After the introduction of the jug, the sampler was triggered and the audio playback began. When playback ended, the jug was carried off stage.

This performance become a test of an audience’s ability to focus on an object which was speaking on stage rather than something living. It also serves as a carrier of human thought and emotion. The jug becomes the literal embodiment of the feeling of emptiness found in each quote, in turn making the quote its own. The piece was based on the idea that common, overlooked objects could suffer from the same mental stresses that humans can, and that idea that we may be able to hear these objects if we try.

Second Draft (after group feedback)

work one

The Rose of Baltimore was a public intervention in which black wax bricks were placed into potholes in Baltimore, Maryland. In each hole, a brick with the word “ROSE” inscribed was placed. The bricks filled the city’s decrepit roadways. They were placed alongside preexisting water valve caps engraved with the word “WATER.” The remaining space around each brick was filled with asphalt.

Each piece was cast from an brick found in New York. The original was made by The Rose Brick Company, a now defunct New York State brick manufacturer. The initial piece was cast in heat-resistant silicone to form a workable mold. Paraffin wax and black pigment were melted and combined before being cast. One brick was then placed in each hole and surrounded by cold-set repair asphalt to level the ground around the brick.

Potholes are potentially dangerous for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Baltimore is a city full of urban blight. To alleviate this, the intervention assisted in the restoration of the city’s infrastructure. Besides the crumbling roadways, the city’s water infrastructure is also failing. The bricks aimed to produce a healing effect through inscribing the words “rose water,” a product famous for its healing effects.

works two

Gas Split Evenly 6 Ways is a video in which an oil drum gives an eight-minute dialogue. After an introduction of running water and music, it cuts to a forrest where the drum is seen in various locations. A high pitched frequency is heard in the background throughout, and a voice delivers words in a casual, monotonous manner. In some of the shots, it can be seen that the barrel has an animated mouth which is speaking, forming a disparate narrative of a disgruntled filling station employee.

The empty oil drum was purchased for $15 from a crane repair shop in Brooklyn, New York. It was originally filled with petroleum lubricant used to oil the cranes’ moving parts. The barrel was driven to woods in Upstate New York and filmed with a digital camcorder. During filming, the drum was carried around the woods for two days using a wheel barrow. The video and sound were edited by the artist, while a collaborator in Los Angeles rendered the drum’s 3D mouth. The script was formed by constructing text found online from Yahoo Answers and various scientific sources.

The aim of the video is to render the inanimate object of the drum into a living, cognitive being. The drum is illustrated as a receptor for the dialogues and emotions of people who encounter petroleum drums through their work. This gives the drum a new life as an empathetic and critical device. The 3D rendered mouth becomes the embodiment of the drum’s animism.

work three

The Jug was a performance delivered in New York. A 6-gallon clear glass jug sat on stage in front of an audience. The empty jug was introduced by the artist by a recital of incomprehensible speech. A microphone was placed at the jug’s mouth, and a low voice could be heard through the venue’s speakers. The voice of the jug recited a 6 minute speech in which feelings of emptiness were explored.

The jug was purchased from a store in which specialized in home beer brewing. Nothing was done to alter the appearance of the jug. The jug’s speech was recorded and manipulated before being transferred to a sampler which could initiate the dialogue. The text was constructed of quotes from famous artists regarding their own struggles with feelings of emptiness. The jug was carried to the stage and placed before the crowd. After the introduction of the jug, the sampler was triggered and the audio playback began. When playback ended, the jug was carried off stage.

The jug was made to test an audience’s ability to focus on an object rather than a human. It serves as a vessel for human thought and emotion. The jug embodies the feeling of emptiness found in each quote. The piece was based on the idea that common, overlooked objects could suffer from the same mental stresses that humans can. It explored the possibility of inducing a emotional connection between the crowd and an unfamiliar object.

Back to methods page:

http://pzwiki.wdka.nl/fineart/Reading,_Writing_%26_Research_Methods