Above: Growth rendering device, which produced a 50 foot scroll of drawings of a pea plant as it grew, thrived, withered and died over a 3 month period.Each week we chat about the tools of the trade with one outstanding creative to find out exactly how they do what they do. The questions are always the same, the answers, not so much. This week: David Bowen.The Creators Project: Who are you and what do you do?
David Bowen: I am a studio artist and educator. I travel the world exhibiting my work and teach sculpture and physical computing at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. My work is concerned with aesthetics that result from interactive, reactive and generative process as they relate to intersections between natural and mechanical systems. I produce devices and situations that are set in motion to create drawings, movements, compositions, sounds and objects based on their perception of and interaction with the space and time they occupy. The devices I construct often play both the roles of observer and creator, providing limited and mechanical perspectives of dynamic situations and living objects.What hardware do you use?
I use a MacBook Pro and a little eMachine laptop to run both Max/MSP as well as various microcontroller editing and data collection software. Beyond these two items I do not consider much of the hardware in my work very high tech. I use various microcontrollers such as Arduinos and Basic Stamps. I use a lot of off-the-shelf inexpensive or surplus sorts of technologies such as photoresistors, accelerometers, linear actuators and hobby servos.What software do you use?
I use the Arduino and Basic Stamp editors as well as Max/MSP Jitter. I have also been using a tool called SeisMac for collecting wave data. SeisMac is a clever piece of software that uses the sudden motion sensor on a laptop to collect g-force acceleration data along the X,Y and Z axes. September 29th through October 16th, 2011 I will be attending a residency called The Arctic Circle. This residency takes place aboard an ice-class expedition sailing vessel where artists of all disciplines, architects, scientists and educators alike will voyage on a mission into the High Arctic. I will be using SeisMac to collect and record the wave data during the duration of my journey through the Arctic. This data will be used to articulate a large-scale kinetic installation titled Tele-Present Water. Using the specific recorded phenomena from this remote, dynamic site Tele-Present Water will recall the physical movements of the water during my two-week voyage.Part of the Tele-Present Water seriesIf money were no object, how would you change your current setup?
This is an interesting question for me. In some ways I think that working with what is readily available and fairly inexpensive informs and greatly influences my work. In a lot of ways I embrace a DIY aesthetic and working method. That said, I do fantasize about putting some houseflies in control of some high-end industrial robots.What fantasy piece of technology would you like to see invented?
I would like to see a device invented that would allow you to think of a particular mechanism and instantly create it in physical form. I think I saw something like this used for the creation of artworks on an episode of Star Trek. In this episode a person simply imagined a sculpture and a super-fancy 3D replicator type thing would create it in the desired material. I would like to do something similar with the construction of some of my mechanisms because I would like to quickly know how something is going to work in reality. I know they have many pieces of digital modelling software that allow you to visualize how a mechanism will function on a computer screen, but in my opinion this can never replicate the way something will function in physical form. On the screen things always function too perfect. I suppose this relates to my previous answer. With a DIY aesthetic and way of working, things do not function quite a slick as mass produced commercial products like cars and iPhones. The mechanisms I make are often one of a kind and are not perfect. Thus they do not always work perfectly and as a result produce unexpected outcomes that can be very interesting. A fancy Star Trek replicator thingy would give the ability to compose and create any type of mechanism in any type of material and see very quickly the interesting flaws and foibles that may occur.Is there any piece of technology that inspired you to take the path you did?
I suppose the most influential piece of technology to my current studio practice is the programmable microcontroller. As an undergrad I began creating large-scale kinetic sculptures in steel. These sculptures used simple on/off switches and timers to control their movements. As a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, I began working with a professor in the mechanical engineering department who introduced me to Basic Stamps. These devices gave me the ability to create much more complex reactive and interactive devices and situations based on variable inputs and outputs. I have used microcontrollers in the majority of my work ever since.What’s your favorite relic piece of technology from your childhood?
When I was young my first computer was a Commodore 64. Of course, I used it to play all sorts of games. Thinking back, I like the idea that the entire computer was contained inside what by today's standards would be considered a bulky keyboard. It had a 7¼ inch floppy drive and could run programs and games from a standard audio tape drive. I got my first experience programming on the Commodore when I wrote a little piece of code that made a person consisting of…o \o/
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II / \…doing jumping jacks on the screen. I had no idea then that I would one day be programming large-scale kinetic and robotic installations.
David Bowen: I am a studio artist and educator. I travel the world exhibiting my work and teach sculpture and physical computing at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. My work is concerned with aesthetics that result from interactive, reactive and generative process as they relate to intersections between natural and mechanical systems. I produce devices and situations that are set in motion to create drawings, movements, compositions, sounds and objects based on their perception of and interaction with the space and time they occupy. The devices I construct often play both the roles of observer and creator, providing limited and mechanical perspectives of dynamic situations and living objects.
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I use a MacBook Pro and a little eMachine laptop to run both Max/MSP as well as various microcontroller editing and data collection software. Beyond these two items I do not consider much of the hardware in my work very high tech. I use various microcontrollers such as Arduinos and Basic Stamps. I use a lot of off-the-shelf inexpensive or surplus sorts of technologies such as photoresistors, accelerometers, linear actuators and hobby servos.What software do you use?
I use the Arduino and Basic Stamp editors as well as Max/MSP Jitter. I have also been using a tool called SeisMac for collecting wave data. SeisMac is a clever piece of software that uses the sudden motion sensor on a laptop to collect g-force acceleration data along the X,Y and Z axes. September 29th through October 16th, 2011 I will be attending a residency called The Arctic Circle. This residency takes place aboard an ice-class expedition sailing vessel where artists of all disciplines, architects, scientists and educators alike will voyage on a mission into the High Arctic. I will be using SeisMac to collect and record the wave data during the duration of my journey through the Arctic. This data will be used to articulate a large-scale kinetic installation titled Tele-Present Water. Using the specific recorded phenomena from this remote, dynamic site Tele-Present Water will recall the physical movements of the water during my two-week voyage.
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This is an interesting question for me. In some ways I think that working with what is readily available and fairly inexpensive informs and greatly influences my work. In a lot of ways I embrace a DIY aesthetic and working method. That said, I do fantasize about putting some houseflies in control of some high-end industrial robots.What fantasy piece of technology would you like to see invented?
I would like to see a device invented that would allow you to think of a particular mechanism and instantly create it in physical form. I think I saw something like this used for the creation of artworks on an episode of Star Trek. In this episode a person simply imagined a sculpture and a super-fancy 3D replicator type thing would create it in the desired material. I would like to do something similar with the construction of some of my mechanisms because I would like to quickly know how something is going to work in reality. I know they have many pieces of digital modelling software that allow you to visualize how a mechanism will function on a computer screen, but in my opinion this can never replicate the way something will function in physical form. On the screen things always function too perfect. I suppose this relates to my previous answer. With a DIY aesthetic and way of working, things do not function quite a slick as mass produced commercial products like cars and iPhones. The mechanisms I make are often one of a kind and are not perfect. Thus they do not always work perfectly and as a result produce unexpected outcomes that can be very interesting. A fancy Star Trek replicator thingy would give the ability to compose and create any type of mechanism in any type of material and see very quickly the interesting flaws and foibles that may occur.Is there any piece of technology that inspired you to take the path you did?
I suppose the most influential piece of technology to my current studio practice is the programmable microcontroller. As an undergrad I began creating large-scale kinetic sculptures in steel. These sculptures used simple on/off switches and timers to control their movements. As a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, I began working with a professor in the mechanical engineering department who introduced me to Basic Stamps. These devices gave me the ability to create much more complex reactive and interactive devices and situations based on variable inputs and outputs. I have used microcontrollers in the majority of my work ever since.What’s your favorite relic piece of technology from your childhood?
When I was young my first computer was a Commodore 64. Of course, I used it to play all sorts of games. Thinking back, I like the idea that the entire computer was contained inside what by today's standards would be considered a bulky keyboard. It had a 7¼ inch floppy drive and could run programs and games from a standard audio tape drive. I got my first experience programming on the Commodore when I wrote a little piece of code that made a person consisting of…o \o/
[] []
II / \…doing jumping jacks on the screen. I had no idea then that I would one day be programming large-scale kinetic and robotic installations.