Sui Generis

Swallow (2005) ,Corpus Escapement (2005) and Neither/Nor (2006) are self-portraits that locate the body as a fanciful machine with hints of technological tropes that suggest a relational functionality to
technology. The body is a fine machine, a perfect machine that persists regardless of the weak will of the mind. Swallow and Corpus Escapement are based on the X-ray imagery of my swallow-test - a visual assessment of my newly sculpted stomach. Shortly after surgery I was wheeled to the x-ray room and given a barium substance to swallow. I was mesmerized as the liquid snaked through my gastro-intestinal system and painted my insides with a chalky white trail. "Take the pictures quick, it's not going to stay down." I warned the technician as my body rejected the alien white substance.

In Neither/Nor the fatty layer of my cranium has been molded into the boolean NOR symbol. Inspired by the idiom "neither fish nor fowl," I reveal the complexity of what I may or may not be. I'll leave the arguments blank for others to fill.

How did I get the brain imagery? I volunteered for an FMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging)demonstration at the "Science of Consciousness Conference" in Tuscon, Arizona under the stipulation that I get a copy of the films.

The digitally manipulated images can stand alone as unique aesthetic investigations. They also serve as concept pieces for a body of work that will integrate mechatronic self-portrait machinations of that explore the synergies and contestations between the human body and human-made
machines.

Circuitry Front and Circuitry Back are digital prints of the first circuit board I designed for the Constructed Narratives project. My facination with this image is the beautiful complexity layed down by the auto-annealing circuit board design software. The technical design takes on gender attributes that highlights the antiquated engineering notational method, while adding a notion of ambiguity as to what is "female," and what is "male."

Neither/Nor (2006)
original 36 x 44 inches