8.
Chris Combs
32 Bits I (136 years, 70 days, 6:28:16)
Chris Combs
32 Bits I (136 years, 70 days, 6:28:16)
- Barnwood, weatherproof LED marker lights, microcontroller, brass plates
- 72x12x2″ HxWxD (installed vertically) or 18x72x12″ (installed horizontally). 10lbs
- This artwork could be placed vertically, leaning against a tree; it could be gently strapped to the tree via a concealed anchor on its reverse side. Alternatively, it could be placed parallel with the ground on 12-18″ legs which could be bolted to a concrete pad, or left unanchored. It would be ideal to provide hardwired power (110v) with appropriate IP67 waterproofing; however, it could also be powered by a solar panel and a small rechargeable battery. If horizontally installed, small stanchions could be placed around the artwork to safeguard it against mowing and wayward viewers.
- The only expected maintenance is to sweep the solar panels free every month, if they are used instead of hardwired power. LED bulbs should not need to be replaced. It is expected that its natural wood material will change over time, exposed to the elements.
This long, barnwood sculpture will show the passage of time through an unusual mechanism: blinking lights that change once a second, reflecting an overall binary counter of the number of seconds since it was first installed. It is intended to be installed seamlessly with its environment, suggesting that it is a part of the forest that was once alive.
The artwork would consist of weathered wood with 32 lights, an embedded (waterproofed) microcontroller, and if needed, a small rechargeable battery and solar panel with management circuitry. All electronics would be designed for 4-season installation with IP67 weatherproofing. The lights would be 3/4″ (20mm) round, amber running lights intended for automotive applications.
Each of the lights would be labeled with a brass plate indicating how often it changes (i.e.: “1 second,” “2 seconds,” “4 seconds,” “8 seconds” … up to “136 years, 70 days, 6:28:16”.)
In this way, the work is about the passage of time, environment vs. technology, and the progression from inscrutability to pattern-comprehension.
Chris Combs’s artworks respond to pressing themes of surveillance, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic failure—and to the viewer, using facial recognition and motion sensing.
He employs a wide range of practices to create circuit boards, software, and enclosures for interactive and time-based wood, metal, and found-object sculptures, which both embrace and question technology. Their custom circuitry is engineered by the artist and hand-soldered with millimeter-scale components.
Chris Combs’s sculptures address changes in our built technology environment—changes which often occur before we understand their implications. His artwork makes these macro-scale changes tangible, letting us consider them anew.