seren (DIP) ity

Developing developments

2012-01-14T16:24:00.001-08:00

An instrument interface.

Kimbrough spill; for Mr. D

2012-01-10T19:05:00.001-08:00

limeOrange seed

2012-01-04T11:04:00.001-08:00

J (ba)

2012-01-03T11:32:00.001-08:00

2011-12-18T10:07:00.001-08:00

Location:Holiday gore

Safeway "There are no such things as accidents" painting

2011-12-17T17:20:00.001-08:00

An invisibility non accident drawing numbered in sequence

2011-11-05T19:35:00.001-07:00

A horizontal line

2011-11-03T16:13:00.001-07:00

A Watched Pot; an everyday dance for Charles Mingus

2011-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Self portrait January 2010

2011-10-01T12:44:00.001-07:00

Found sealed in vest pocket.

Knot

2011-08-05T10:06:00.001-07:00

Hoses, hoses, hosest.

2011-08-04T02:54:00.001-07:00

Hose drawings

2011-07-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

Hose drawing

2011-07-24T11:24:00.001-07:00

Cloud Haiku Dedication

2011-07-21T08:50:00.001-07:00

Dedication of cloud haiku tomorrow July 22 at 3pm!
Westlake and Virginia, Seattle, WA. I'd love to see you there!

To see official invite click here

Crush drawing

2011-07-04T20:54:00.001-07:00

Found at the greatest parade in the world.

Found fence drawing

2011-06-22T08:47:00.001-07:00

Mountains

2011-06-15T08:47:00.001-07:00

Yesterday

2011-05-17T20:08:00.001-07:00

Cloud Haiku; installed permanently

2011-05-07T22:01:00.001-07:00

Now installed at Westlake and Virginia in Seattle, WA. My third permanent public work. A series of cast bronze pillows situated on a South Lake Union light rail stop.

Dot

2011-04-05T18:16:00.001-07:00

Cloud Haiku is painted!!!

2011-03-26T16:49:00.001-07:00

Tricycle

2011-02-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

Up now at the Center for Art and History in Lewiston, ID. This mixed media installation was created for the Gallery IV in conjunction with the John Wood Exhibition. Both open on Friday at 5PM.

Audio from this work was generated through the use of the "musical typing" feature on Garage Band. It is representative of all correspondence between myself and the gallery retyped while using this function on record. The work was built in response to the audio, the space and materials brought along.

Fabrication finished

2011-02-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

And now for blasting, painting and installation.

this didn't almost make me cry

2011-01-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

From For the Birds; To Ellen

2011-01-18T23:27:00.000-08:00

A pillow on a diet.

2011-01-13T10:55:00.001-08:00

This was cast too thick.
Needs to look like this.

Gouge away.

Merce Cunningham--Changing Steps 1

2011-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

ontogenesis

2011-01-07T10:00:00.001-08:00

Whole

2011-01-01T18:47:00.001-08:00

More pillow progress

2010-12-29T21:44:00.001-08:00

So I've been having fun putting these few together.

Braces welded in for bolt pattern

And then to cut and fit the two pillows together. They weren't made necessarily to go together this way so I'm making them go together now. Lots of cutting, grinding, filing, and refitting. Several days of repetitive fitting.

And then welded together from the inside.

On the magic cart of rediculocity.

All my collaborators. I like hammers.

Boat on Fire; really good ideas catch on fire

2010-12-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Nik and Fritz's first movie collaboration; one of them is six

amanda smash!

2010-11-16T09:52:00.001-08:00

My ear; a bronze replica

2010-11-15T16:01:00.001-08:00

Unsmashed doodle

2010-11-13T15:08:00.001-08:00

Mooooooo!

2010-11-08T19:20:00.001-08:00

Hello my name is Simon.

2010-11-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

Eat yer heart out Andy Goldsworthy

2010-11-01T15:28:00.001-07:00

Knife block stools

2010-10-22T15:46:00.001-07:00

A sign from god found in the dumpster

2010-10-21T16:17:00.001-07:00

Outta site; a site visit

2010-10-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I was able to do a site visit and move the forms around in the actual space. Kinda the thing to do when your in the business of making site specific work. There will definitely need to be a little work with the landscaping and the finished works will be white but this will give you an idea of how the end product will look minus the pole. I am always a little shocked when something made physical can embody the same spirit as the original drawings.

Pillows progressing TWO

2010-10-13T20:58:00.001-07:00

So I have been plugging right along at the project mentioned in my previous post here.

Alot of people have been asking about it. To save everyone from a ton of images in their inboxes I'm posting here. I'm excited to share.

This is should bring things up to speed.

You may remember this stack it comprises five of 9-11 pillows in the entire piece. It is to be sited in downtown Seattle.

After things are poured I devest (break the bronze out of the molds)

Then all the extra vents, cups and gates must be removed.

Then I sandblast everything clean. Think of it like coloring the entire surface with a marker. Slowly unifying and cleaning the surface.

Then comes the realigning of any distortion and welding the seams together. Lots of banging and squeezing. Anything goes to het everything back together.

Eventually looking like this

Then everything must be ground out and chased for another blasting. But before that I have to finish assembling the remainder of the stack. So repeat everything again and

These are next in the pile

This is another of the crew that stands alone.

In the blast cabinet

Post blast pre-paint pillow seat

And these images show the next three pillows preparation for gating, investing, burnout and pour.

So there you have it. Growing daily.

Yo Yo I'm in this show

2010-10-11T12:01:00.001-07:00

I have an installation in the exhibition "Passages" opening this weekend at downtown Seattle's former INS building. More specifically the work featuring the audio collaboration with Spencer Moody. It can be viewed here

No such thing

2010-10-11T07:48:00.001-07:00

a drawing collage revitalization

2010-09-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Pinebox Derby; Noise collective

2010-09-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Pinebox Derby Noise Collective
FA 351 & FA 452 Intermediate Advanced Sculpture
Assistant Professor Nik Meisel

The Prompt:
By joining this class these students have became members of a Noise Performance Collective.
We are calling ourselves Pinebox Derby. We began by attacking a pine box display case abandoned on the 4th floor of Fine Arts. As a collective it was their charge to decide how the parts of this box might be disassembled and converted into a noise machine. They were allowed to add additional elements but all of the initial structure was to be utilized in some fashion.

Each student was also given an assignment to begin reading a biography of a creative although non-visual object oriented person. These biographies were to assist them in developing the project following the Pinebox Derby project. It is however undeniable that these characters have come into influence the students and their choices concerning the aesthetic arrangement of these objects, the sounds they make and the composition of how said sounds go together in a arrangement.

In the video you will see we are referencing the wall. On the wall is our sheet music. It is in our own esoteric language specific to our instruments. We have rehearsed it and it was performed September 16, 2010 at 2:02pm.

Our performers include:
Abigail Fulkerson
Clint Eastwood
Dane Youngren
Henry Ford
Frank Lloyd Wright
Joshua Dennis
Caimen Nguyen
Casey Park
Muhammad Ali
Merce Cunningham
Abbie Hoffman

The instruments:

Light line

2010-09-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

I was working on a stairwell in my home today when these lovely little lines revealed themselves. They are coming from the window at the right. Miniature neon lines with zero hardware.

Another hose drawing

2010-09-06T18:27:00.001-07:00

The long green line delivers water to my pale.

Hose drawing

2010-09-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

I Walked Up to a Machine with My Friend Mike

2010-09-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

Dry pants

2010-08-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

summer long collaborative painting

2010-08-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Pine Box Derby; Noise collective

2010-08-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

A first day of my Intermediate/Advanced Sculpture class attacking a big pine box to make bricolage noise machines. Performance coming soon. Here are some video samples of the works after a few hour start.

tying the tied

2010-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

a collaborative drawing with Fritz (blue lines) and Beckmann (beige lines). A poem of our efforts.

I found these.

2010-08-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

A Painting, a Sculpture & a drawing

five and 1/2 minute hallway

2010-08-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Almost immediately after watching yesterday's post "Waking up ( about Merce Cunningham dance video)" I found myself on the floor shooting this video. I just remember saying this is my 5 1/2 minute hallway. I will embrace wherever it goes. This is what happened...

Waking up...

2010-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

After watching this video my current obsession with noise in cahoots with sound and dreams of dancing are solidifying. This made me a bit emotional. How stunning! I post this video from a recent tweet by Portland's Barry Johnson (@barryjohnson) that pointed here: http://artsdispatch.blogspot.com/2010/08/portland-dance-linda-austins-video.html

The quote by Merce Cunningham resounds so heavily with me in relation to my work:

"The main obstacle, it emerges, is the choreographers’ own, almost pathological worship of the ephemeral. Cunningham said approvingly, “Dance gives you nothing back. No MS to store away, no paintings to show on walls, no poems to be printed and sold - nothing other than that fleeting moment when you feel alive.”

John Coltrane middle

2010-08-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

On 1/17/07 I paused my iTunes to answer the phone. This happened; I took a screen grab. Today it was found.

Oh and a painting

2010-08-04T16:36:00.001-07:00

Safeway @ 23rd and Madison in Seattle. Some public art.

Facing myself here (there) where?

2010-08-04T16:30:00.001-07:00

Hello old friend. There might be something growling in that corner over there. Yikes. Here we go yo!
Pillow fight!

Wishing in progress

2010-08-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

Now developing at the Hailey House, ( birthplace cottage of Ezra Pound); "Pound Wish Prescription." For this work I created a set of small, abstract steel forms that encircle the apple tree at the front of the house. Ezra Pound’s poem “A Girl” is written in chalk on the forms. A collaborative three dimensional drawing, the public is invited to make wishes and to tie colored strings representing those wishes to white ropes that hang from the branches of the tree. When complete the wishes (strings) will be wound, cremated, cast in aluminum and returned as a "stone" to the Hailey House garden.

ta ta for now

2010-07-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to all of you who came out for the event on Thursday the 29th! It was really nice to see familiar faces and make some new friends.

If you didn't make it; here's some images of the event.

As you entered the property just to your right was this little work I called yellow plus green. That little speaker played this:

As you followed the sidewalk around just to the left was this string shadow drawing called "then July, 16 7:12pm".

If you followed the steps all the way down to the studio space:

Just to the right was the "and then the bush said..." installation with audio of Mr. Washington laughing. (see earlier post for more, or go visit this work and "then" are both up through August I believe)

Yes indeed that is our surprise guest Mr. Fred Wilson.

Once one made it through that installation there was food! This of course included the three meals prepared as per the post last night. As you can see it was all devoured. The best kind of art really.

Adjacent to the food was the Washington's greenhouse. I took the opportunity to share the "Another; Black Eye" work I made in the INS building. (see earlier post) It consisted of a slide show on my laptop complete with headphones.

Last but not least was the "reincarnation" of the "Fire!" A work I made for the show last week at the Parlor Room gallery. This time it existed as a video work that was filmed at the original site. Utilizing the foundation's flat screen tv in the house fireplace it played all night long.

Mrs. Washington

2010-07-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to include the late Mrs. Washington in tonights event. A strong civil rights activist, nurse and supporter of Mr. Washington's art making Janie's mark is rarely found on the premises. In the process of living here at the Washington house I came across many notes between the couple. One such discovery was found in Mrs. Washington's collection of cookbooks and some of her written recipes. This set into motion the idea that I might be able to embody the energy of Mrs. Washington through cooking. But how to choose? Intermingled I found a numerology book with a note inside. This set forth the generation of a formula. See below.

Another; Black Eye

2010-07-29T01:26:00.000-07:00

An installation at INS Building can be seen here!

In person by appointment only: nikmeisel@mac.com

New installation begins at INS

2010-07-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

New installation began at The INS building in Seattle today. This work is being made while listening to the collaborative botch remix I did with Spencer Moody. (see earlier post for audio) I have two rooms on the fourth floor facing Uwajimaya. Can't wait to work more tomorrow!

website update

2010-07-27T04:22:00.001-07:00

Finally posted some audio from High Noon (seen above). Also some new images of recent installation work. The icons with orange around them are the newest additions.

Developing Unifying themes!

2010-07-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ready to build my installation at the INS building in Seattle this week. This gets WAY loud!!! Super cheap find.

Fire! (to keep you warm)

2010-07-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

I was invited by the directors of the Parlour Room Gallery in Puyallup, WA to make a one night installation in their fireplace.

I put this:
in here:
and it played this audio bonsai.

Unifying Themes; Spencer Moody collaboration

2010-07-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

A collaborative sound Bonsai between myself and Mr. Spencer Moody (murder city devils, triumph of lethargy, dead low tide...) This work will be part of a larger installation at a later date but I thought I would share it with you. It is an edit of the entire "Unifying Themes" album by the legendary hardcore band "Botch". A minus project where all sounds but single instruments, dramatic pauses or vocal were removed reducing the hour long "mathcore" album down to what is heard here.

And then the bush said...

2010-07-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Up now at the James and Janie Washington Foundation at 1816 26th Ave., Seattle, WA. And then the bush said... A mixed media installation that includes audio edited from many of Mr. Washington's lectures ranging from 1972-1988. (see audio below) See more work at the open studio, July 29, 6-9 PM

This rock is spinning!

2010-07-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Truth

2010-07-13T11:11:00.001-07:00

Plugging away here at the James Washington Foundation. I am the artist in residence at this time. The following sculpture was generated/ruminated/meditated from the word "truth" as written by Mr. Washington's hand. This note was found on a scrap enclosed in a book belonging to the library here.

"Truth" seems worth repeating (perhaps this shape should be repeated). It's been fun archiving sound files of his lectures as I feel I can relate a ton to his mystical and spiritual leanings in art/life making. I have been making these new works in my time here from my own poetry, as well as, other local poets, musicians and Mr. Washington's handwriting. I just received notice that two of my poem based works will be included in an upcoming show at Mighty Tieton (with a killer catalog.)

More on the various sound editing and installation building soon!

Guerilla!

2010-07-08T15:06:00.001-07:00

Today, with the help of Mr. Kim, single string drone was born.

Several days ago I discovered this site on Pine in Seattle.

A 90 foot (extremely narrow) corridor between two buildings. One a former BMW dealership. The other a mechanic shop.

Watching sunbeams

2010-07-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

Progressionistic

2010-07-06T17:42:00.001-07:00

Some doodling in the yard at James Washington residency.

Makingmakingmaking...Ma-king

2010-07-05T11:30:00.001-07:00

And ho...

2010-07-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

I made this today.

5" x 5" x 5", paperboard, matches and tape.

So far so...great!

2010-07-03T17:04:00.001-07:00

In case you didn't already know I'm in residency at the James and Janie Washington foundation in Seattle. Thus far I've been keeping very busy lusting after potential sites and meeting up with collaborators (more to come on that front later).

I was also able to visit my collaboration with Taiji Miyasaka
in the exhibit "the architect and the urn" at Lundgren Monuments. You can see an image of our urn above. In this project we invested sacred items from Taiji's father and cremated them leaving a void in which ashes could be placed. You can check out the show at: 1101 Boren Ave Seattle WA

http://www.lundgrenmonuments.com

Orange Peel Bucket Poem

2010-06-27T23:49:00.001-07:00

Jawbreaker (found sculpture; made from scratch)

2010-06-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

About a year ago I created elemenoh for Saranac Art Projects in Spokane, WA. Note the large yarn ball in photos below. The process of creting this ball was very long and meditative. It was fun to watch the colors layer and observe their optical reaction with one another.

In the process of collecting string for the pound wish prescription (so people have string to use on the wishing tree; see previous post), I decided to take apart the ball from this work. The selected pallet for the wishing tree can be seen in the vitrine below.

The dismantling of this ball was equally satisfying as I didn't necessarily recal what color was beneath the next. In order to excavate the palet I desired I began cutting through the layers. It was here that I found many interesting relationships. It was alot like looking at partially dissolved jawbreakers from my youth.

The cores would often pop out of their previous layers leaving behind a fuzzy husk. The one on the left came out of the "husk" on the left.

Water wagon drawing (collaborative drawing)

2010-06-20T13:26:00.001-07:00

Some collaborative drawing with Fuzz and Munk.

Pillows progressing

2010-06-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Doing alot of this:

So I can make this in metal:

Hopefully eventually to look something like this:

After lots of this:

To end up looking something like this here:

In Seattle. Whew...baby steps

Wishing tree in Sun Valley

2010-06-15T20:26:00.001-07:00

Pound wish prescription

Work in progress for summer long installation at Ezra Pound's birthplace in Sun Valley Idaho.
Come contribute to the peice by tying on a string and making a wish.

July-August at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Hailey, ID.

Lint drawing #17

2010-06-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

The real sticker

2010-06-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

strawberry sculpture

2010-06-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

minusing

2010-06-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

Dryer lint minus project.

single string thing

2010-02-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

A single string thing
noise making machine connect-
ing dots is so fun

There are no accidents #7; This drawing was found post Whitworth University lecture made by memeber of the audience.

2009-09-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Then, Now and When.

2009-08-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

A quick chronology of my summer exploits. I was able to show quite a few times the image above is a my "tent" for the tent show. This tent show took place this year at the Redmond Greenspace in Redmond, WA. My work was called "tent-verb to give or pay attention; to heed". The organizers of this event and fellow participants placed these flags as per my direction pointing out some shadow in the space.

July 10- August 7 I had an installation titled Lumberjack Azeltine Valentine up at RACC's Portland Building installation space at the Portland Building in Portland, OR.

elemenoh was up from July 3-31, 2009 at Saranac Art Projects in Spokane, WA.
Upcoming: In mid September I am having another solo exhibition in Spokane, WA at the Oliver Gallery at Whitworth University. The plan at this point is for this Volkswagen to be used to informed the remainder of the installation along with the support of Whitworth and WSU students.

Also in mid September I will be included in the group show at COCA Seattle, Across the Divide. They have granted me half of their Belltown gallery for another public installation.

There are no accidents #6; Turns out there is a hole in this glass and I put it back in the cupboard to surprise me later.

2009-05-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

There are no accidents #5; Turns out there is a hole in this glass and I put it back in the cupboard to surprise me later.

2009-05-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

There are no accidents #4; Turns out there is a hole in this glass

2009-05-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

monday

2009-05-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

im going to china

130 foot Scroll

2009-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

minus a(away) progress

2009-03-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

I, Surrender an Exhibition at the Frances Anderson Gallery in Edmonds, WA

2009-03-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

The first official collision of the minus project dictating the scope of an installation. Imagery on the floor is composed of 160,000 #8 rubberbands in the form of the business envelope hanging in the back left corner of the gallery. This envelope was left on my studio door with a note on the exterior. On each side I traced around the perimeter of the text and then cut around the edges. Finally I opened the form to discover this composition.
In attempt to blur the boundaries between the various facets of my work this installation is a combination of microcosmic works, minus projects and temporary installation.
Usually it is rather easy to differentiate where a work is an installation as opposed to an individual work it is my hope that this work blurs these boundaries.

unstuck

2009-03-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

I found myself a bit stuck in the mire of everything. Over-thinking and forgetting that things find me just as well as I find them.

I, Surrender an Exhibition in Edmonds, WA

2009-03-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

Been spending the majority of my time preparing for an installation/exhibition in The Frances Anderson Center Gallery in Edmonds, WA. I will have more images of the work next week.

Sculpture in Three Parts

2009-02-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

Three sculptures made from a 14 year old art materials receipt found in a book. I have none of the art materials purchased nor any artwork made from materials. Ironically only the receipt remains.