~LUKE MURPHY . . SHANE CAMPBELL GALLERY, CHICAGO
subtext: CRAFT
subtext: industrial
subtext: digital arts
subtext: historical American quilt patterns
subtext: high level tech knowledge
subtext: craftsmanship / artisan skills / incl both digital & actual 3~D constructs
subtext: communication – digital banners / new age signage
‘LUKE MURPHY – 2019’
SHANE CAMPBELL GALLERY – LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO / BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
APRIL 13 – MAY 31, 2019
LUKE MURPHY . . . is a digital / tech-wiz, light, animation & 3-D construct .. artist,
who has a long time & many-layered relationship with: CRAFT.
when . . . ‘creating’ new accessories in even, online games, such as Minecraft – are referred to as ‘crafting’, as opposed to let’s say ‘producing’, or ‘building’ . . . as in:
‘How to make a Bell in Minecraft: This Minecraft tutorial explains how to craft a bell with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.
In Minecraft, a bell is a new item in the game that does not have a crafting recipe yet. A bell can be found in the center of a Village. Bells can be attached to a floor, ceiling, or the side of a block and they will make a sound when you ring them.’
~source: basic online search for: ‘craft’
Mine – craft (!!!!!!!!!!!!)
as in: mine/mein / belonging to me / a set of skills – mastered by ‘me’ / mine.
& mine / as in a (resource) mine (gold mine) (tech mine) / or, as in . . mine/research a topic / and,
or . . dig this !!
it’s no wonder – there is such a new-found & profound respect / ans understanding for the term,
in the new gens/generations.
they are encouraged to be ‘artists’, & ‘creative’ explorers – from the time someone puts an iPad or iPhone . . into their little toddler hands.
Luke . . ‘crafts’ objects & pulsating wall ‘boards’ – out of his digital & experimental knowledge, which are often in turn, actually combined with historical ‘craft’ references, as in his LED light / pulsing ‘quilts’ & even: signage.
and, note: that’s . .
Luke Murphy’s animated ‘DELI-LED’ banner running across the top of this page / ‘UNIFY NOW’ . . (WORLD)
LUKE MURPHY, DIGITAL ‘LOG CABIN QUILT’ / installation view
LUKE MURPHY, ‘StarQuilt’, 2019.
P4 LED Matrix panels, animation code, mini-PC running Linux, power supplies, aluminum, wire or MDF armature.
Technical: Python3 scripts & software, Gigabyte brand i3 mini-PC, running Lubuntu Linux, Linsn receiver card,
sender card, 5v$oA 125/220v AC power supplies.
63H x 41W x 3D in.
LUKE MURPHY, ‘On Leaning Lights’, 2019.
P4 LED Matrix Panels, etc . ..
re:‘INDUSTRIAL’ / ‘CRAFT’
note: ‘craft’ . . . does NOT necessarily mean ‘craftsy’, as in arts & crafts /
I take it to mean, more: the ‘craft’ of building / constructing / imagining . . something really really well, with . . both ownership & authenticity.
it’s interesting to see, in this show, with this piece – that Luke is moving over to the dark side, lol !!!
it could be, in reaction to showing in what appears to be a high-end lifestyle / home furnishing / exceptionally inspired / concept store / gallery, that he didn’t want to just come off – as all soft & cuddly ?!!
as if, a rigidly framed LED Panel quilt was soft and cuddly, but you know – what I mean.
this piece is like straight out of Star Wars, a light saber collection, or better . . ‘Hal’. (!!!)
this is ‘craft’ . . pushed to a colder, more minimal ‘take’, what we in the art world call: ‘industrial’.
it doesn’t mean factory-produced, it means: later age civilization . . proto-modern / contemporary minimalist.
its usually very: GRAPHIC / as opposed to purely expressionist, as in / no brush stroke, please !!
it’s got a colder / harder ‘wall’, that pushes ‘creativity’ . . to a finer, more stringent – visual tension.
it’s like, the range or polar opposites of the craft mind-set / the yin yang.
CRAFT – INDUSTRIAL.
see more: LUKE MURPHY 2019 – SHANE CAMPBELL GALLERY
and, where you can also watch – some animation clips, of the pieces in ‘motion’ !!
all images via SHANE CAMPBELL GALLERY