NOTHINGNESS PART 1
CAST IRON, STEEL, BRASS, MDF, PLYWOOD, CAST PLASTIC, ACRYLIC PAINT, LIGHT
70” x 17.5” x 20”
2013 - 2016
RELEVANT EXCERPT FROM
"The Compendium of GeoDinic [Natural] History" :
The Vines of GeoDin have an extraordinarily long life cycle (by earth standards) of well over 1000 years, and are by far the dominant flora. They are incredibly robust and seem to grow effectively in almost any environment. When the vines are young they are yellow; the GeoPods are closed and a light grey. As they age, the vines and pods darken and the pods crack open. This pedestal represents both a very young GeoPod (a “child”), and one that is little more than a bud. The machinery here is very broken down and it is not possible to determine it’s former function with certainty, but there is one “Filament” form (see the Filament entry for more info on this), suggesting the production of light and/or energy. There is also a partial machine that contains objects that are formally similar to the older GeoPods, though hollow (these are thought to be “man-made” versions of the pods) and some orphan gears. There are also a few broken-off pieces scattered about. All together, these components suggest that this machine was an attempted work-around of issues that will be addressed momentarily, though how successful it may have been is unknown.
ABOUT THIS PIECE:
The color/age of the vines dictates their placement within the show: they have to be displayed in color/age order, creating a gradient across the room. This is the “youngest” piece in the show, though it is one of the last made. The title of this piece came from a religious debate I once saw. I believe (no pun intended) that it was Christians vs Atheists, with the either controversial or entertaining (depending on your POV) Christopher Hitchens taking up the atheist’s cause. They were discussing the end of the universe, which Hitchens referred to as “the nothingness that is coming”. It seemed apt, given that the machinery in this piece is so broken down.