Michael Takeo Magruder at Hannah's, Seale Hayne

If you admire Ben Yates' electronic creations then you will probably want to see Michael Takeo Magruder's digital work - Living Data - on show at Seale Hayne, just outside of Newton Abbot. This is a mixture of digitally created hard copy art and screens which are fed by PCs, linked to the internet.  Here are some photographs which illustrate the work:

 

Each of the displays applies an algorithm to an internet information source to produce unique digital visuals. For example, the second work above draws upon a live market feed from the Dow Jones Index to produce its images, while Data_plex (babel), immediately above, is generated by tapping into the top ten topics trending on Twitter, as explained in the exhibit label below:

This exhibition shows just one aspect of Magruder's work. Copies of his 100+ page book, (re)mediation_s 2000-2010, with many colour photos and interesting essays by academics covering (Derrida's) Deconstruction, (CP Snow's) The Two Cultures, The Art of Remembering, and more are available at the exhibition for ten quid. This is a bargain, particularly as the book can no longer be bought on Amazon.

 

 

The results can be very 2001: A Space Odyssey ... or Doctor Who ...

 

 

The display above draws upon images of flowers showing on Flickr (as in the monitor below) and produces a hybrid form which changes - in sync - as new images are posted.

This is a fascinating exhibition. The works seem to be live - which of course they are, insofar as they are responding to the collective actions of thousands or millions of people using the internet. It is impossible to get a realistic impression of the ever-changing images showing on the monitors from still photographs. You really need to visit the exhibition, which is part of the Digital Invasion season at Seale-Hayne, and runs until September 1st.

Art in the Sun: August 9-10 (final weekend)

Yesterday I went along to the Art in the Sun exhibition in Ingsdon, Newton Abbot. The exhibition features the work of five artists in a barn and in the surrounding woodlands and is well worth a visit. It includes Ben Yates' studio where you can see his electronic creations. When I visited, Ben kindly spent some time explaining to me how he creates these pieces and answering my questions.

Ben Yates (at TAAG)

I've previously seen Ben's awesome creations when he was exhibiting at TAAG, and posted some photos in my blog. In the current exhibition you can also see a number of his clever photocubism pieces - photographs combined with wood cubes of varying depths (are they still cubes?) - unusual and nicely executed work.

'Photocubism' by Ben Yates

There is also some beautiful sculpture and mixed media work by Luci Coles; and op art (mainly different diamond configurations) by Bob Bruce.

Luci Coles

The other artists are Harbz, who brings a touch of urban grit to the exhibition, and stained glass pieces by Amy McCarthy.

Amy McCarthy (Yarner Woods)

This is a fascinating mix of work displayed in an idyllic setting, when the sun is shining. I only hope that this weekend remains dry and that people get the chance to get along and see it.

The location is just beyond the turning for Hannah's, on the A383 out of Newton Abbot - so you could easily combine this with a visit to the absorbing exhibition of digital work by Michael Takeo Magruder at Hannah's. I'll be posting about this shortly.

Teign Artists' Days of Art at TAAG - Last days

I called into TAAG yesterday and found that the Teign Artists' Days of Art is showing this week. The exhibition includes the work of several artists who are regular exhibitors here, including Josie Gould, Petra Lewin, Marta Killey, and Pat Bray (see previous post). All of these produce interesting work and Petra Lewin, in particular, seems to be breaking new ground with some bigger and bolder pictures. Also on show is some work from Elizabeth Rashley, who does exquisite linocuts.

The biggest surprise, though, is the terrific electronic material produced by Ben Yates (www.photocubism.com). Here are a few snaps:

The exhibition is only on this week until the end of Friday - So check it out while you can.