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  • tele-present wind
  • David Bowen (bio)

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tele-present wind. © 2011 David Bowen.

David Bowen’s work is concerned with aesthetics that result from interactive, reactive, and generative processes as they relate to intersections between natural and mechanical systems. tele-present wind consists of a field of x/y tilting devices connected to thin, dried plant stalks installed in the gallery, and a dried plant stalk connected to an accelerometer installed outdoors. When the wind blows, it causes the stalk outside to sway. The accelerometer detects this movement, transmitting it in real time to the grouping of devices in the gallery. The stalks in the gallery space move in unison, based on the movement of the wind outside. Bowen says of his work, “I produce devices and situations that are set in motion to create drawings, movements, compositions, sounds, and objects based on their perception of and interaction with the space and time they occupy. The devices I construct often play the roles of both observer and creator, providing limited and mechanical perspectives of dynamic situations and living objects. The [End Page 358] work is a result of the combination of a particular event and the residue left after the event.” His work thus offers an imperfect and revealing transposition of data. “In some ways, the devices are attempting, often futilely, to simulate or mimic a natural form, system, or function. When the mechanisms fail to replicate the natural system, the result is a completely unique outcome. It is these unpredictable occurrences that I find most fascinating. These outcomes are a collaboration between the natural form or function, the mechanism, and myself. This combination can be seen as an elaborate and even absurd method of capturing qualified data. I see the data collected in this manner as aesthetic data.”


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tele-present wind. © 2011 David Bowen. Photo © 2011 Shannon Di.

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David Bowen

David Bowen University of Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota USA dwbowen@hotmail.com www.dwbowen.com

David Bowen is a studio artist and educator. He received his BFA from the Herron School of Art and Design in 1999, and his MFA from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 2004. He is currently associate professor of sculpture and physical computing at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. His work has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including Brainwave at Exit Art, New York City; The Japan Media Arts Festival at The National Art Center, Tokyo; if/then at Vox Populi, Philadelphia; Artbots at Eyebeam, New York City; and Data + Art at The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena. His work has been featured in such publications as Art in America, Leonardo, and Sculpture Magazine. He was recently awarded Grand Prize in the Art Division at The Japan Media Arts Festival and Third Prize at the Vida 12.0 Art and Artificial Life International Awards.

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