alexander berchert

Thursday, 24 May 2012

a new sculpture

its been 6 months since i first exhibited my 'kinetic prototypes' at 'nifty',a co-show with mate stu. back then there was so little time and so much to do. we managed to put up a show but the lack of time meant compromising quality in the works. on the private view of nifty, my water wheel sculpture didn't turn because i burnt the motor. the toaster pyramid didn't work either because the fuses kept popping. lets say, there was generally room for improvement.

since then i overhauled all of my works. i made the assembly easier, bought new, better parts and built crates. i learned from the last 5 shows i had that it is best to be prepared and to do stuff properly. remember, hindsight is not a superpower!

below is a documentation of the progress of my latest work from prototype to finished work. it took nearly 4 months from idea to executed piece. it was mainly research and ordering parts, the rest craft and assembly.

so far i don't have a title for the work but i can tell you what inspired me to do it. a lady bird. if you have ever been lucky enough to have one on your hand, you will realise how it tries to walk in one direction, trying to get off your hand. funny enough it is very easy to fool the lady bird and make it walk forever. you simply put one hand in front of another, creating a rotating path. once you stop, the bug reaches the edge of your hand and usually flies away. i found it fascinating how this creature kept moving forward, hoping it would arrive somewhere, clueless about his wasted efforts. i felt the symbolism in this paradox was very strong and i tried to think of a way to communicate this in a simplified, mechanical way.

the sculpture consists of a ping pong ball and a drum with guttering trails that is mounted on a table and attached to a motor. the drum spins at 6 rpm in an anti clockwise motion, creating a consistent spin. the ball, which is a victim to gravity rolls down the trails, attempting to reach the bottom but the ever revolving drum of trails keeps spinning and the ball is stuck in a rolling limbo.

Saturday, 10 March 2012

the new curiosity shop by daniel poole
the kinetica is now in the past but i made contacts with loads of cool artists, curators and galleries that i now stay in touch with. one of the most interesting stalls at the kinetica was presented by daniel poole. it was full of quirky 80's toys and neon signs. i very much like his style.

he got in touch with me a week after the show and invited me to be part of his newest installation called 'the new curiosity shop'.it is hosted by the london-newcastle-project-space in red church street, an amazing gallery!!!

it took nearly a week to install all the artwork and 'curate' the pieces in the best possible way, which was difficult as all the works are so intense and over the top, that it resembles a cluttered up charity shop from outer space. there is an army of toy robots, rubber dinosaurs, a bumper car, tiny chairs and super retro acrylic canvasses featuring tank girl and astro boy. what a show..by calling the whole installation the curiosity shop, daniel got away with this unconventional lay out.

works featured in the show where paintings by jennifer louise martin,a neon extravaganza by Chris Bracey, Ye olde sign writer Jac, New York found objects artist Merrill, assemblage artist Laurence Poole, mixed media artist Sue Golden, sculptor Finn Stone, Darren Cleary, Dianne Harris, Robert Moore, Nathaniel Caird, Tracy Jean Shields, as well as a cornucopia of curiosities.

the private view was a great success and the shop is open until the 17th of march. if you haven't seen it yet and are in london, come down and check out the kitsch!

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