February 20th, 2011
Michaelangelo and rembrandt meet generative art
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September 12th, 2010
Artwork that ripped my mind
Another one of my all time favourite album covers is the iconic Weasels Ripped My Flesh by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention.
Originally released on Bizarre Records label in August 1970, this album cover grabbed my attention in much the same way as fingernails scraping on a blackboard! As with Hot Rats, it was an absolute “must buy”. Commissioned by Frank Zappa, the painting was the creation of a San Francisco based poster artist by the name of Neon Park (real name Martin Muller).
As the story goes, Park got a call from Frank Zappa asking him to come down to Los Angeles. Zappa showed Park a cover of “Man’s Life” from 1956 with the feature article “Weasels ripped my flesh”. Zappa asked, “This is it. What can you do that’s worse than this?”. Park then created the parody of a shaving ad you see on the cover. Interestingly, John Williams is also credited with “Photography & Art Direction”.
The cover almost didn’t see the light of day. Zappa butted heads with Warner Bros. over its suitability for release. “Evidently,” says Park, “there was quite a confrontation that occurred over this cover. It wasn’t up to their standards.” Even after Warner Bros. finally consented to its use, there were problems. “The printer was greatly offended,” says Park. “The girl who worked for him, his assistant, wouldn’t touch the painting or pick it up with her hands.” (Source).
September 11th, 2010
Work in progress september 2010
Currently in the process of finalising this piece and for a change, I’ve decided that instead of hiding the hardware and electronics behind the canvas, I should showcase them right up front. The idea of highlighting the electronics appeals to me and gives me a chance to develop the sculptural side of these works.
Based on a simplified, custom built, Arduino based microcontroller board, this work drives four large, 16cm high red seven segment displays and is currently programmed to count up to 9999 before pausing, resetting then starting over again.
