The Genpets TM Project is coming along on schedule. Designs are becoming more finalized, the box and accessories mostly. The animals themselves are still not taking shape. I seem to be designing a lot of things based on cats though, due to my recent over exposure to them (V = Crazy cat lady. And yes Dustin = Ugly).

One of my main concerns throughout, has been where I will show this sculpture. Where will I get gallery space, how much it will cost me, etc. I don’t mind spending a thousand $ or so on a gallery space later, however, I don’t have a significant body of work I would show yet. A 3-week project just doesn’t give me time to produce something of gallery scale and quality. (Well, for many it does, but my goal is never to be one of the crowd) I view the Genpets TM piece as my first gallery quality work.

Back on topic, today Johanna announced we’ll be participating in the Go West show. It will be a juried selection of course. But you know me. That doesn’t scare me in the slightest. I don’t lose. So expect to get invites from me in 4 months for a gallery opening on queen west, with my name. You might want to go.

An exercise in LEGO inspired artwork. As this cost me way too much, and I went overboard with a tiny project, I needed to find easy ways to reuse the components as much as possible. I also needed cheap wire. Thus, I used RCA sockets and cable. All the pieces interlock easily and can be reused for later works. It also gives the piece a very tidy finished look. Even though it’s still an experimental work in progress. In total, I used 40 feet of wire inside the sensor Pillars and 192 feet of cable outside to wire in the lights. Yes, I am insane, but that’s why you love me.

What does it do?
Inside of a darkened room hang 6 double sided images drawn by Ryan Solski that have small white lights hanging behind them. The cable all collects into a central mass being fed into 2 pillars in the centre of the room that have Photo-resisters installed on them. When the spectator walks into the room, they can either look at the images, or interact with the nervous system of the installation and by moving their hands over the pillars, they can effect the ambiance of the room. Dimming each light individually, or all at once. The user decides and has control over the entire space.

It’s a work in progress as none of the lights are exactly the way I want them to be, however all the circuitry and power systems for the installation are complete. As it was, THIS was $80, too much for a 3 week project and there just wasn’t time to finish correctly.

The idea behind the piece.
Ryan and I saw the work in different ways. The idea in my mind deals with space and how we relate and interact with it. The space is operating fine when the user enters it, but through the interaction of the user, the space is disrupted and the central user thusly effects the experience of all those around them. When they step back however the system returns to equilibrium on it’s own. In a white boxed gallery type setting, it gives the viewer the chance to control and effect that space rather than just being a passive observer within it.

<< Interim report rough draft for thesis.

Come on, what did you expect? I didn’t spend 4 years at art school to print out an MLA format, white wash title page with my name on it. Granted, designing this and stapling Blue acetate plastic to the back of it didn’t take long, but it was sure noticeable!

I prefer to stand out, when possible, with as little effort as possible. It’s not that it’s my goal to make anyone else look bad (as people have suggested), it just sorta happens. More work now = less work later.

As for the inside text, it was a rough draft, but I wrote it as a final paper, complete with Annotated Bibliography that V helped with, THANK YOU! (I HATE Biblio formatting. HATE). I think I felt a little stupid that night when I couldn’t deal with the MLA crap, but then I looked down at the microchip I’d just programmed earlier, and was like, I’m not the stupid one here, fuck you MLA.

It still surprises me, but everyone likes my thesis. People keep mentioning that to me, which is nice. Thanks! Even Johanna (thesis advisor) isn’t suggesting I change things, or do it differently; she thinks it’s a good idea. So I guess it must be. I just hope I can pull it off the way I want to.

Mould-making (work) tonight was great. I got about half of a new sculpture done as well as some reading for electronics. I must have looked pretty funny. I set myself up with a 2 tables, sketchbook, laptop, readings, and of course, clay/water/plaster. I like to multitask! I don’t worry so much about getting my laptop all dirtied up with clay. I back up my files regularly, and if anything ever does break, I can do the repairs myself (ebay = replacement parts). I NEVER want to be one of those people that has a freaking slip cover for their keyboard and such. It’s a mass produced piece of plastic for god’s sake. I mean ya, It would suck if it broke, but it’s not going to burst into flames because it has a fingerprint on it.

Came home to London for the weekend to see my pretty girl. The girl doesn’t scare me (*cough* alright, maybe sometimes she can), the city did though!

I went to her classes with her on Monday, I was really interested in seeing where she went everyday, and also seeing what she does. I like her, so I want to see little bits of her life.
I respect her for being able to consume and memorize such shear volumes of information. It’s quite different

From what I do. The thing that scared me though were the white people! They were everywhere! UWO scares me. Even those not white, dressed white. Everyone in gap (or old navy) quite literally. After being in a culturally diverse city like Toronto it was a shock, it was odd (VERY) to look at, and I also felt less important. I was just one of them, part of the mass. I was white, V was White, we were all white. Except I was dressed in my Toronto fashion as V had fun pointing out. She didn’t fit in either in her black leather jacket, thank god.
It’s an odd thing to think of, but I’m a visual person, and the 2 places are just SO freaking different. Even the buildings match at UWO, all just borning grey. There’s no diversity anywhere. (sorry for insulting your school… ya.. I’m a prick).

The rest of the weekend was spent with Homework, snuggling and talking. We watched Gattaca. Both of us have apparently been wanting to see it. And it deals with some of the issues in my thesis, so I was all for it. We also watched the Craft and shut it off near the end because we both hate the ending.

Also got more inspiration for thesis, and got most of the rough draft of my interim Report completed ahead of time.

Got my circuit schematics done for my media installation piece involving ‘space’. (As in volume). Now I just need to build, solder and pay for the $60 worth of materials; Cables, photo-resisters, etc. (I built the metal pillars on Friday morning, just need to pour the cement bases next Thursday. The room is lighted and the lights react with interaction of the user. Dimming or brightening with the motion of the users hands. More later…

Today I started my job as mould-making monitor. Thursday 6-9. I gotta be down there sculpting for business and thesis, so hell, I get paid !! how can I argue. And I get to make sure no one kills themselves. Hmm, hope I don’t look after the youngins the way I look after food I cook…

Water flooding. Twice. Yay. Water shut off in the apartment today. When it came back on, the toilet overflowed, I managed to save lauras room, but some of my art books aren’t happy with me now :( . Manafs room was unaffected because apparently we’re on a slight slant. Lucky me. It took me a few seconds of standing and watching the water rush over and past my feet. I was a little shocked (and alone in the apartment, knowing Laura was gonna freak).

And then Laura (later, after my 9 hour day) started talking about Noah. Which annoyed me (mom, dad, thank you for not forcing me to read the bible and lose half my IQ). Lets compare Adam, to Noah. When times got hard what did he do? He built a boat (ya, lets all cheer) so he could run away like a stupid sissy.

What’s that teaching our kids?! I’ll tell you. If I’d of been a bible thumper I’m sure I would have just ran to school to give my presentation (I was late for), instead I stayed an extra 40minutes and cleaned up. I was a big boy and fixed the problem and dealt with it. I didn’t build a boat and run away crying. Nice one Noah.
(ya, and then Mould-making flooded too)

oh, and my presentation went fine I think. I made it up on the spot. Not too hard when you’re spossed to talk about yourself and your work.

Then Ben & Casey dropped by and asked me to go out (but I’m leaving for London tomo, so I have to look anti-social and get good sleep and work, sorry again Ben. Me love you long time! V yelled at me for not being social and said I’m not going to have any friends if I keep this up. But little does she and Casey (Ben’s gal) know the spark of love that’s growing between me and Ben.. he’ll never get rid of me) (that’s what you get for telling me you read this sometimes. Ass.)

But Kasey was funny and noticed Stanley (fish) playing. Yes, playing. He was making bubbles, then spitting them and chasing them to eat them. It was funny and cute. He’s official insane. But apparently healthy and energetic. I told Laura (by jumping and impersonating the fish) but she didn’t seem to share my enthiuasm for the fact that our goldfish invented a game.

Prototype packaging. Rough layout. Text will be added, graphics will change.



A more finalized rough draft of the box. Still adding text and stuff. Lots to do, lots will change, the name and company for sure. But I have to be planning and working.

(Also bought the domain and web hosting package for I and josh’s sculpture company.. Lisa got me a deal. Thanks Lisa! More info later when I have time to work on it.)

>>>Research
so I was doing research and what came of it to put in my journal?

I’m fairly strong in my opinions about outsourcing. And it enrages a lot of people who feel attacked and insulted by me. Well rightly so, you should feel insulted, you’re dirty.

Sometimes artists make what appears to be cool stuff. I won't name any names, but I came accross one artist in particular that deals in bioengineering. My problem with her latest series is that she didn’t do it! The works were sculpted and moulded by someone else!

This is very common. And makes me question whether or not the art is hers. How can you call something yours when you didn’t create it? The work was sculpted by someone else, and unless she planned the work down to every last hair, the sculptors style would have greatly influenced the work and changed it. While she goes around having gallery shows and posting her name on someone else’s sculpture.

Not cool.

>Got my flu shot

> election. Ya, so I prefer to look at the positive. Bush got elected. What’s the postoves? Well it proves America is stupid. But other than that, kerry prob wouldn’t finish what bush started in Iraq. I could see him just blaming it on bush and backing out, so atleast this doesn’t allow for excuses. Also it does WONDERS for the Canadian dollar!! Bush is an idiot, and our dollar went fro .71-> .85 (for my euro friends) so with another 4 years of bush I bet we can hit .93!!

>Martial arts has been on my mind lately.
Haven’t done it for a few years. But running into my old instructor Jamie while me and V were shopping in London reminded me I should start up again.
There’s a small club at OCAD. Maybe it’ll fit my schedule and give me a place to work off steam. I miss kicking peoples heads. (I think I’ll get my old foot pads from home first, you know, don’t want to bruise my foot or anything… hehehe)