D e b  T o d d  W h e e l e r
      Live Experiments in Human Energy Exchange    
      jimmy

Part utopian fantasy, part meditation on possibilities and impossibilities in sustainability this project concerns technology as a mediator for human interaction with the environment. This exhibition was made possible by a LEF Foundation Artist Grant, and by the energy and many talents of James Hull and the Gallery at Green Street.

Central to the installation is a modified bicycle, which is hooked up to a generator and various rigs, gears and pulleys. By pedaling the bike, the rider (a gallery volunteer) activates the installation, generating light, wind, sound, and motion to fuel a series of kinetic studies on the fraught relationships between nature and technology. In one piece the bike powers a DC generator that in turn powers fluorescent lights embedded in hacked ant farms, in which worker-ant tunnels are dug beneath looming silhouettes of 1964 World's Fair pavillions. In another work, the same bike turns gears that transfer energy to wind power by turning a windmill-like form with sails made of recycled plastic grocery bags.

 
   

 

 

live

exhibition catalog: http://www.lulu.com/content/2276762

reviews: Art in America, May 2007 (click to read) by Ann Wilson Lloyd

Journal of Aesthetic Research by Greg Cook

Big Red and Shiny: by Carolyn Franklin


The Boston Globe by Cate McQuaid Art617: by Greg Shea

The Boston Phoenix by Randi Hopkins

 
      Central to the installation is a modified bicycle, which is hooked up to a generator and various rigs, gears and pulleys. By pedaling the bike, the rider (a gallery volunteer) activates the installation, generating light, wind, sound, and motion to fuel a series of kinetic studies on the fraught relationships between nature and technology. In one piece the bike powers a DC generator that in turn powers fluorescent lights embedded in hacked ant farms, in which worker-ant tunnels are dug beneath looming silhouettes of 1964 World's Fair pavillions. In another work, the same bike turns gears that transfer energy to wind power by turning a windmill-like form with sails made of recycled plastic grocery bags.