ART & TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS WITH
MACHINE/TECH ARTIST D.A. THERRIEN
Therrien has been creating technological art installations for 35 years, was one of
the founders of the Machine Art movement in the 1980s (often referred to as
CyberPunk), and has presented work worldwide in factories, museums, high-rise
buildings, over water and inside ancient cathedrals.
His early performance/installations as COMFORT/CONTROL, which utilized
electricity as an active performance element, along with robotics, surveillance,
physiological monitoring, video projection and interactive systems, integrated
human performers into massive machines as switches to control large high power
lighting arrays and as integral elements in the overall control system by monitoring
physiological signals (ECG) electronically, which controlled the mechanical motion.
In the past 10 years he has worked on the Beautiful Light series, creating large scale
interactive information based lighting arrays that are suspended from buildings,
bridges and cranes. These high power, million watt arrays are visible for miles.
Current projects include autonomous solar powered beacons that can be seen from
space, an interactive ARTIFICIAL SUN, and a research project to create on object
capable of surviving intact for 2.5 billion years.
testingLAB is a new art/tech project based on Therrien's
research & design into various technologies for creative
application.
testingLAB is offering a series of workshops over the
next 6 months for high school and college students who will
experiment with electricity, mechanics, motion control, circuit
design, sensors, lighting, battery design, 3D printing, CAD,
structural design/materials, Arduinos/RaspPi with the
objective of creating art on-site during the workshops.
testingLAB Spring 2019 workshops are being produced with Palos
Verdes Art Center (PVAC). Students participating in the next
2 workshops in March 2019 will create a light or kinetic sculpture.
Workshops (limited to 12 students per workshop)
FALL 2018
3 NOV 18, 11am-4pm (open studio 4-6)
#1 ELECTRICITY - AC/DC circuit design, safety, switching, voltage, amperage,
watts & ohms law, DC batteries, high voltage vs. low voltage, measurement, LED vs
incandescent lighting, review of machine/tech artists and their work.
17 NOV 18, 11am-4pm (open studio 4-6)
#2 MORE ELECTRICITY - electrical circuit assembly skills, wiring, soldering,
testing circuits (short circuit demonstration), project demonstration by visiting fire
& light artist Charles Emlen.
1 DEC 18, 11am-4pm (open studio 4-6)
#3 ELECTRICITY & MOTION - continuing with the basics of the first two
workshops, adding motors, solenoids and electro-mechanical design, as well as
instruction in machine tool use and materials. Demo/experimentation with motors.
8 DEC 18, 11am-4pm (open studio 4-6)
#4 ELECTRICITY, LIGHTING, MOTION & SYSTEM DESIGN - AC vs DC motors,
power supplies, sensors/control, transformers/rectifiers. Motion and lighting
control technologies will be discussed, demonstrated and experimented with, and
then integrated into participants' light or kinetic sculptures.
Basic materials are provided, but participants should search for interesting found
objects, appliances, metal frameworks that can be used in their artwork.
SPRING 2019
9 MARCH 19, 11am-3pm (open studio 3-6)
#1 ELECTRICITY - AC/DC circuit design, safety, switching, voltage, amperage,
watts & ohms law, DC batteries, high voltage vs. low voltage, measurement, LED vs
incandescent lighting, review of machine/tech artists and their work.
16 MARCH 19, 11am-3pm (open studio 3-6)
#2 MORE ELECTRICITY - electrical circuit assembly skills, wiring, soldering,
testing circuits (short circuit demonstration)
WORKSHOPS 3 & 4 TBA
To register for SPRING 2019 WORKSHOPS with PVAC, contact:
Email:gphinney@pvartcenter.org
Additional information:
Instagram @testingLAB.LA
FB/DATHERRIEN
www.emlen.com
Email: info@testinglab.la