It takes a really strange article or news item to make me sit up in my chair and take notice. Now when two of them cross my desk its time to draft a missive to the internet. And thats what your reading.
It seems these days like there is no shortage of art, and artists willing to not only push the envelope but rend it limb from limb. The crazy Steampunk designs have filled my imagination, and frankly provided excellent fodder for the podcast. But from time to time we see tech that goes beyond spiffy, that reaches past neat, to just plain weird.
The recent trend of Steampunk style has been well documented on my Podcast, we lavish over even the smallest monitor or handcrafted prosthesis to use pneumatic methods of locomotion. But when it comes right down to it, most of them don’t work. I like the feel of the steampunk pieces, I like the “authentic” way the brass glows.
And this piece is no different. Steampunk taxidermy indeed breaks new ground on weird. Lisa Black the artist really dug down into the inner working of the mechanics to make these sculptures real. These are not simple gears flung onto a preserved creature. These are beautifully works of art painstakingly fitted onto the frame of an animal. Weird… to some…. a Clockwork Crocodile is definitely more along the lines of an Automaton, if it works. It is interesting to see people’s reactions when you show them images of the automata and let them know that locomotion was possible well before the advent of electricity. As I said I like the style of these pieces and I’m starting to understand where they come from. If you enjoy that you really need to head over to the individual galleries for each piece and click the Appreciate it button. Artists like to hear people’s reactions, they like to affect your perception.
© Lisa Black
Fawn | Baby Crocodile | Ferret | Duckling : Lisa Black
And just as I get my mind wrapped around the Taxidermy, and clockwork ferrets of the world I see something like this offering by Christopher Conte. This is no ferret, with all due respect to Lisa, this is modifying human form. Christopher makes actual prosthesis for people. So with that level of understanding you can see how his creations grew into a truly symbiotic relationship between man and machine. Yes the talking skull gets people’s attention, but the rest of the Antiquities collection is just as impressive. I love the spider‘s the arthopods the things that go clank in the night. What really stands out in his work is the detail and finish on each one of the pieces so I stand in awe of each one.
© Christopher Conte
I’m no stranger myself to making computer bugs, but my level of craftsmanship is nothing compared to these. So at the end of the day I have two new favorite artists and a world of work ahead of me. I hope that we were able to expand your mind a bit and keep you coming back for more.
These are Mine! Not quite the same level of craft now are they…