PROGRESS REPORT: March 14, 2016

Things are starting to come together in earnest for "Journey . . ." The electronics are almost complete, the wings are aligned and the three projectors are focused and operating properly. This project has been a true collaboration involving the creative skills of Greg Paul who has wrestled with the very complicated behind the scenes electronics, my brother, Bob who has come up from Nantucket many times to guide me through numerous machining and design challenges. Felicia Nickola has been nothing short of spectacular with the technological end of the equation. She has created a wonderful 40 minute video that will be projected onto the lower surface of the wings as well as a haunting and elegant sound track. She is beginning work on a documentary of the almost year-long construction of the piece. Last week she produced a very endearing video trailer of 9 year old grandchildren Paul and Amelia discussing the work from a philosophical point of view. Felicia is just starting to organize the material for the book that will accompany the exhibition. She is an absolute joy to work with . . . and deserves enormous credit for keeping me on track . . .

"JOURNEY . . ." the Exhibition

 COMING SOON TO A GALLERY NEAR YOU . . .

JOURNEY MAN . . .

At a height of 4 inches, Mister Journey Man, perched pretty much dead center in the complexity of life pedals his way through time and space to explore the wonders of this universe, while seven foot diameter wheels turn at one revolution per minute and wings flow above him at a rate of 12 cycles per minute receiving projected images on the underside of those same wings, to timeless sounds, transporting him forward to consider the complexities and beauty of life throughout his journey into eternity . . . 

JOURNEY . . .

    Anna Casey, critic and supporter and fellow artist . . .

As a child I learned that light travels at roughly 186,000 miles per second, and sound travels at roughly 1,100 feet per second through the air. These are reference numbers that I carried with me for most of my life and I think about them a lot . . .

How much time does it take to develop a thought, or conceive of a piece of music or perfect either of them? We are not limited to considering time in seconds, minutes, hours or years . . .

David A. Lang

"JOURNEY . . . "

This is the cover design for the book that will accompany the Exhibition, “Journey . . .” from May 4^th – June 5^th at the BOSTON SCULPTORS GALLERY at 486 Harrison Avenue in the SOWA district of Boston.  The piece is the largest and most ambitious kinetic work that I have built to date.  It is 11 feet in height and 13 feet in length and will be suspended in space above the floor at the Boston Sculptors gallery.  It is motion activated and kinetic.  There are 7 foot diameter spoked wheels turning at 1 revolution per minute while videos images are projected onto the lower surface of the wings beating at 12 cycles per minute with an accompanying soundtrack.  Meanwhile, deep in the center of the piece is a 4 inch biker man pedaling for dear life through time and space into eternity.   

Preparing for 'The Shop' at Boston Sculptors Gallery

Just updated my artist's page on 

the Boston Sculptors Gallery's website.  

The excitement is growing!

Gallery link

The Burghers of Calais

The Burghers of Calais is one of Auguste Rodin's most famous sculptures. It serves as a monument to the occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years' War, when England's Edward III laid siege to Calais, an important French port on the English Chanel.  Philip VI of France ordered the people of the city to hold out at all costs.  The ultimately failed and starvation eventually forced them to surrender.  Edward offered to spare the citizens as long as six of its top leaders would surrender and face execution.  Edward demanded that they walk out wearing nooses around their necks, and carrying the keys to the city and castle.  One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first, and five other burghers (members of the bourgeoisie) joined him.  Saint Pierre led this envoy of volunteers to the city gates.

It was this moment, and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice, and willingness to face imminent death that Rodin captured in his sculpture, completed in 1889.

Although the burghers expected to be executed, their lives were spared by the intervention of England's
Queen, Philippa of Hainault, who persuaded her husband to exercise mercy by claiming that their deaths would be a bad omen for their unborn child.