Craig Dorety

To Tomorrow and Back – A public art installation in Shanghai

A public art installation in Shanghai

I’ve done the trip into tomorrow 4 times now. And by the trip into tomorrow, I mean a flight across the International Date Line to Asia. This trip was for a public art installation – to install a show for artist Jim Campbell from San Francisco. In fact, all my other trips to Asia were to set up shows for Jim. If you haven’t seen his work, it is definitely worth checking out. I went to Shanghai to install 5, large and highly technical pieces at the Chronus Art Center, a prominent art space sponsoring contemporary technology art. While I could talk endlessly about Jim’s work, what I really want to describe is Shanghai itself. Shanghai is nestled just inland from the Yellow Sea on the eastern coast of China. As nestled as any city of 24.15 Million people can be: Shanghai has SUBURBS of up to 10 million people. I don’t think I can overemphasize the sheer volume of humanity… and yet it never felt overcrowded. The subway system is extensive, modern, efficient, and even clean. I rode it several times during rush hour, and while there were large crowds, the crowds flowed smoothly almost like water. And even with the dense crowds, I never felt the crunch like I have in NYC on a busy day….or what I imagine some subway lines are like in Tokyo. Even the streets (mostly…well at least the modern ones) are wide. Almost everything seemed modern….like preserving the old is not a high priority.

Although, there are some things that get preserved. During my time there I was able to visit 3 beautiful temples, each in essence, a public art installation: The Shanghai City God Temple, The Jade Buddha Temple, and the Jing’an Temple (recently rebuilt due to fire, but originally dating back to 250AD). In addition to the temples, I visited Yu Garden and the adjacent Yuyuan Tourist Mart for some shopping. Another wild shopping experience was the TianZhiFang: an old neighborhood turned into a tourist shopping area with narrow alleyways and abundant food choices. Here you can have your caricature sculpted while eating meat on a stick.

Sometimes things come up during a public art installation of technology based art. Like a piece malfunctions or new parts must be sourced. So, when traveling in foreign countries I am always on the lookout for places where I might source these parts. Shanghai has a centralized place for sourcing electronics: the SEG Electronics Marketplace. This is a 10 story building filled with small booths where vendors sell a large variety of specialized electronics related products. It was so satisfying to find products that I had heretofore only been able to research online before buying. Now I know there is a place in the world where one can.

Observations from Art Basel, Miami

George Heath clay sculpture process — Photo of Craig

Art should be judged subjectively, right? Art means different things to each and every person. Does it speak to me or you? Or does it match my furniture? I have rediscovered, after over a week in Miami for art week, that there is no accounting for taste…even my own.

Art in the commercial world, one might think, must also withstand objective scrutiny: Was the work made with a traditional skill, is there a depth of process that indicates mastery of material, will the materials withstand the test of time or exposure to the public, does the work speak to an important social intersection, etc? And one might also think it common to use objective qualities to help judge an artwork’s commercial value. Apparently this is not the case in Miami during art week….anything goes.

This is the largest commercial contemporary art marketplace in the western hemisphere: galleries, consultants, artists, assistants, curators, museums, and collectors. This is a vastly diverse collections of people, many of whom travel from all corners of the world for Miami’s art week. In addition to the main far, Art Basel, there are some 20 plus other concurrent fairs, aka satellite fairs. While in Miami I walked 42 miles (6 or so a day) and every inch was lined with art. I visited 6 art fairs, 3 private collections, and 2 museums.

My work was displayed at the Untitled art fair, a 2.5 acre tent, directly on South Beach mere feet from the Atlantic Ocean: 136 international galleries showing work of close to 1000 artist. There was a wonderfully colorful installation of Carlos Cruz-Diez’ work outside the entrance and in the entry area. Untitled is a few years old, curated by Omar Lopez-Chahoud, and is a well respected fair. I always see a lot of work I like at Untitled.

Scope was right next door, also a large tent, and also on the beach: 140 galleries, similar number of artists. By the time I got to this fair, I was exhausted, so I did not see the whole thing. I also found many artworks at Scope that I liked. The highlight Dorielle Caimi’s (sur)realism.

Pulse Miami, at Indian Beach park, hosts over 40 international galleries. Probably the most intimate of the fairs I visited. Pulse seemed to have more well established galleries. I always enjoy this fair. Highlights were Jim Campbell and Yorgo Alexopoulos at the Bryce Wolkowitz gallery.

Art Miami is HUGE. I tried to see the whole thing…and much of it seemed secondary market? There was a lot of very large and expensive work here. I was terribly overwhelmed and I only took one photo: Shigeki Hayashi.

Context is a smaller fair operated by the same people that do Art Miami. I LOVED this fair. I found a ton of art that I wish I could afford. The highlight here was Yong R. Kwon’s ‘The Eternal Flame’ which was simply hammered discs of stainless reflecting light onto a white panel.

Aqua (also run by Art Miami) is a smaller fair that takes place in a hotel of the same name. This fair is somewhat frowned-upon by other fairs….And I can see why. The venue is a bit strange as the galleries show their wares in small hotel rooms bereft of furniture. If you are visiting Art Miami or into aqua and there is a free, air-conditioned shuttle that will take you there….so it is worth a visit.

I’ve saved the worst (in my opinion) for last: Nada (New Art Dealers Alliance). Maybe I was in a bad mood or hungry while I was at NADA, but I don’t think that is it. In general I found almost nothing of objective quality at this fair. Just because an artist throws shit….ehem, paint at a canvas, doesn’t make it good art. I saw a lot of ugly and distasteful work here. Much garbage. The true artists at this fair are the galleries and sales people that can sell garbage to “art” collectors. I didn’t take a single photo here.

The Bass Museum of Art was showcasing 3 artists. All three installations had me thinking. Ugo Rondinone made a room full of realistic sad clown manikins with beautifully gradated walls. Pascale Marthine Tayou combined his contemporary installation practice with many of the Bass’ 16th century masterpieces and ancient relics for a somewhat offensive, yet still enjoyable contrast of eras. And my favorite, Mika Rottenberg’s “Cosmic Generator” film. 26 minutes of completely surreal commentary on modern international trade and plastics. I haven’t seen a film this good in a long time, and there is no dialog.

The Perez Museum hosted a huge collection of Cuban art. My favorite was a “painting” by Yoan Capote made of over 550,000 rusty fish hooks.

In addition to the fairs and museums, I also visited 3 private collections. I won’t describe the de la Cruz or Rubell Family collections, because I wasn’t excited by them. The Margulies collection, however, blew my mind. They had two enormous installations by Anselm Kiefer comprised of giant paintings juxtaposed with many tens of thousands of pounds of reclaimed concrete. I highly recommend a visit to this collection if you are ever in Miami.

Newport Visual Arts Center Opening Draws Crowd

Friday, Sept. 8, was a big day in Newport for members of Pacific Northwest Sculptors. That afternoon, the Newport Visual Arts Center, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, welcomed the pubic to “Variety of Visions: Work from the Pacific Northwest Sculptors.”

Sculptures in a wide range of media by 27 PNWS members were on display at the NVAC, a project of the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts.

PNWS President George Heath, whose schedule kept him from attending the opening, said of the show, “It looks amazing and very professional. We can be proud.” He volunteered high praise for PNWS Shows Coordinator Dave Gonzo. “What I did witness was what it took for Dave and his crew just to make the arrangements. The negotiations were challenging and there were some last-minute issues that seemed impossible to overcome, but Dave just took it head-on and made it happen,” said Heath. “It was a marvel to see.”

Newport Community Supports Visual Arts

Gonzo praised those who helped him make the show a reality. “With much hard work from all of the show committee and other members, it couldn’t have been done without them,” he said. “I would like to thank the show committee for stepping up in making the exhibition a reality. Chas Martin for the show title and taking submissions, Joe Cartino for creating the spreadsheets, Jessica Stroia and Sue Quast for handling the marketing, promotion, and social media along with Alisa Looney.”

Gonzo also thanked Craig Dorety and Andy Kennedy for their logistic support. In addition, Kennedy also wrote promotional copy, and Jill Townsend found hotel rooms at a discount for PNWS members. Gonzo expressed special appreciation for the contributions from Newport Visual Arts Center Director Tom Webb. “Working with Tom was a pleasure, and I learned much about putting on big exhibitions. With communication, understanding, and patience, we pulled off a great show.”

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!

Kinetic Light Sculptures Showcased at Member Meeting

The approximately 20 people who attended the July 20th PNWS members and guests meeting at the home studio of PNWS member Craig Dorety saw the light. And then they saw the raw materials and then the tools. They learned how this engineering graduate and artist uses innovative technology to make mesmerizing and thought-provoking kinetic light sculptures that take the art in directions likely to have been imagined by only a few.

As a 2006 graduate of U.C. Davis with a degree in mechanical engineering and previous studies in mathematics and physics and who, along the way, completed a NASA internship in project management and program controls, fine art may seem an unlikely path for this Oakland, Calif., native. But wait; there’s more. A suggestion of artistic inclination emerges in Dorety’s curriculum vitae in the late 1990s when at Cogswell Polytechnical College in the heart of Silicon Valley he was certified in music technology.

In the years since college—Dorety is in his mid-40s now—his work and personal interests have led him up and down California, across America, and across the globe on projects importantly to do with using modern technology, for example, to relight with LED bulbs iconic landmarks such as Madison Square Park in New York City, a somewhat similar project on part of San Francisco’s famed Market Street, and another at San Diego’s airport where 40,000 LEDs were used to illuminate the terminal with moving imagery.

The Engineering Tools Implemented

Amid his professional work, he makes time for extensive personal projects. He writes on his website, “I’ve spent countless hours creating and fabricating a variety of devices including midi controllers, synthesizers, kinetic light sculptures and various visual arts pieces.” Settled in Portland now, Dorety does much of that personal work in his studio which is equipped with a large CNC router with which he fabricates the surfaces he uses in his sculptures. “CNC” is shorthand for “computer numerical control.” This large, computer-controlled table router can perform the functions of several other tools including the panel saw, spindle moulder, and boring machines, among others. The tool can be used with wood, composites, aluminum, plastics, and foams.

Those familiar with the use of any kind of router may be amazed to learn that Dorety can use his big machine to create the detailed cratered surface of moonscapes—Dorety calls them “lunar carvings”.

He writes that he learned this technique when he “hacked” a friend’s CNC router in 2012 in Australia where he attended the Perth International Arts Festival. Dorety writes thoughtfully about his art, what motivates him, and how he works.

Insights From Perth

“The human brain has some built-in limits beyond which it cannot properly interpret visual information. I use this limit to express the workings of the subconscious…. Clean lines, simple shapes, self-similarity on varying scales, and pure, changing color are my palette; information systems and data-sets are my subject matter.”

He says he uses “mathematics and engineering to formulate physical space-time distortions: displaying static images through time while squeezing and folding the images’ space into 3-dimensional layers.” He concludes, “I collapse space and remap it onto the time axis. By redisplaying information in this manner, I give the viewer a glimpse into spacetime as seen through my eyes.”

Go online to www.craigdorety.com to see lots more of what Dorety sees.

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!