This piece evidences the complexities of the robotics and sophisticated
machines I have
built to expand my range of expression while distancing my body from the
machine, a necessity because of the lasting effects of an automobile
accident.
Not only is the interior of the vessel exposed, but the interior of the
wood as well. As aspects of working with the "machinery as a musical
instrument" evolve, certain liberties allow these "tunes" to be played
using a very broad technical and work-related palette comprised of
"colors" which are established conventions or stylistic representations of
previously created works or series of works. Mega-Axial Mystery Tour
is one such piece – The title also refers to the Beatles tune,
"Magical Mystery Tour".
I began using the chainsaw and lathe early in life, having a father who
was a turner and woodsman. At the time the "new" lightweight chainsaws
were introduced, I was ten years old. My father taught me how to use the
chainsaw to harvest wood and to build log cabins. (See photo below).
Cutting into the log was always intriguing to me because it revealed the
growth rings and the interior of the marvelous structure that was the
tree.
