tele-present water, 2011 by David Bowen – Xiaoyu Liu

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Gunnar Knechtel Photography

Most of David Bowen’s projects focus on the recurrence of natural elements. Tele-present water is gathering real-time data from a remote unknown location somewhere in Pacific Ocean and transmitting valid data (intensity and frequency of the water wave) to this installation. As described on the website “This work physically replicates a remote experience and makes observation of the activity of an isolated object, otherwise lost at sea, possible through direct communication.”

My interest has been aroused while taking a different perspective. I found it sarcastic of the form choice. He is using the mechanical grid structure to represent a natural phenomenon and deliver loneliness and helplessness to its audience. Why a obviously unnatural structure rather than a replicant of natural water waves? Why in a museum with all the unnatural surrounddings? Is it a parody to the mechanized world?

 

Week 2: Circuit Schematics

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It was a lot of fun to re-visit circuit schematics after so many years. I worked on diagrams for three circuits we did in class. The series circuit (where the voltage is re-distributed across the 4 LEDs but the same current passes through all of them), the parallel circuit (where the same voltage is applied across the terminals, but the path of the current is different), and one with a voltage regulator (that converts the high voltage into a lower voltage to prevent damage to the components).

Circuit Schematics (Week 2)

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For these circuit exercises, I focused on flashlights 5, 6, and 7, respectively. Being able to set up the circuits and then draw them out really helped my comprehension of how the flow of electricity works and how to divert it.  A challenge I foresee myself having is when the circuits begin to get a bit more complicated and involve multiple voltage regulators, transistors, and/or relay modules.