in some ways I see my work as representational
at the same time as abstract. I don’t relate to it
as technology-driven, and I hope others can see
easily through the technology, which has the
same importance to my work as the paint and
canvas chosen by a painter.
off with the flip of a switch. I find that greatly
attractive, balanced only by the convenience
and simplicity of powering something off a wall
outlet.
DM: Could you explain your decision for making a
less energy-conscious sculpture and the ideology behind
DM: Your Mobiles are all powered by the sun, stress- it?
ing the importance of the awareness of alternative
MM: Around the time I first started making
energy sources. How does this method of powering
the mobiles, I was frustrated with the sense of
your sculptures compare to if they were powered by
helplessness I and so many have when it comes
means of “more traditional” methods? Does this affect to doing something about the enormous probyour work at all?
lems of the planet. Using solar power gave me
MM: Powering with solar requires a lot of ata modest way to promote alternative energy
tention to efficiency as well as energy processwithout entangling the conversation in all the
ing and storage. It adds quite a bit of complexfinancial or political aspects. To illustrate solar
ity both electronically and in software. But it’s
electric production in an artwork makes a posisuch a nice way to power things, and it builds
tive statement without strings.
into the pieces some attributes of which I’m
I would not, however, want to feel bound to
especially fond, in that they are tied to the
producing only solar-powered works. While
rhythms of the planet, sleeping at night, and
using solar has multiple benefits, it’s not the
in many cases hibernating through the winter.
content. Technology interacts with content,
And they don’t need anyone to turn them on or whether you’re a painter or a clay sculptor, but
off or replace their batteries. They are in these
I don’t consider myself a “technology artist,”
ways more independent and “free.” And they
hence for me the technology is quite subordiperform as environmental spokescreatures.
nate to the content.
Interestingly I’m just finishing my first “traSeveral things factored into how a creature
ditionally powered” piece, a pack of five wallpowered by AC might behave, relative to the
powered varmints that use gyroscopic force to
solar pieces. I thou ght of these beings as dark,
move themselves. They have a radically differindustrial, noisy, and potentially dangerous,
ent personality than the solar-powered pieces.
which they are, yet they ultimately proved
This has to do both with the amount of energy themselves friendly as well. One thing that
they have to work with and also simply a differ- came up right away was the dependency on
ent ethos that seemed to present itself to me
human input to turn a switch off or on. The
in conceiving something that would be powsolar pieces rise and sleep with the sun, but a
ered by 120VAC. They are dark and potentially wall-powered piece would be subject to human
rowdy beings but occasionally reveal a gentler,
whim. In response to that I gave the pieces
cuter side. I felt the need to make a few pieces
a hint of human interaction. They tend to be
powered without sun, as in gallery shows it’s
quite peaceful when left alone, but with increasalways a difficulty as well as an aesthetic conflict ing human presence they work themselves up,
powering solar-powered mobiles with artificial
sometimes into a bit of frenzy. After people
light. And it is striking me as healthy to have
leave they gradually calm down. I wanted these
some pieces that challenge the philosophies
pieces to have a very different quality of moof their brethren; I think it will make them all
tion, more energized and angular, so I powered
stronger in the long run.
their motion with gyroscopes rather than proI’ll likely start focusing my solar pieces on
pellers. This enables them to move in quick,
outdoor contexts, although there really is a
twisting ways which feeds into the personality
beauty to the indoor pieces that hibernate in
I was trying to develop. They wind up their rowinter and wake up one spring morning when
tors to 10,000 rpm in order to move this way,
the sun finally comes up through a window. The so there are some substantial sounds warning of
solar-powered creatures are much more auimpending rapid movements. One area in which
tonomous, and you can’t just turn them on and
I’m greatly interested is the revealing and prop-
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SciArt in America June 2014