As seen on KQED arts & culture

October 6 through December 2, 2006

Reception:
Part 1, Friday, October 6, 7-10PM
Part 2, Friday, November 3, 7-10PM

The artist's words:
I like to make stuff. I can’t help it; it’s a compulsion. I’ve liked making things move using motors and other means since I was a child. This partly arose from my fascination with robots; as a young boy it was my dream to become a robot. My first kinetic constructions were made from scraps of wood, a fan or motor, and paper—recycled objects that I found in my dad’s garage or that he brought home from his job as an envelope salesman.

“Air fountains” are the latest group of things that I’ve made from recycled materials. Many are loosely modeled after botanical forms. Each goes through a cycle of growth and senescence—expansion and contraction; they breathe. My mother was recently institutionalized due to Alzheimer’s, which left her unable to know who she is (or who she was). The sculptures remind me that life and memories are fragile. A breath may be staccato and violent or fluid and calm. Each is amazing. --David Meeker