traffic cone transcending traffic
a traffic cone which is part of a landscape with vehicles driving through it (a traffic cone's natural habitat) is continually painted. the traffic cone is vibrant, saturated orange, while the rest of the landscape is murky and dim. the transitory cars are also translucent, making the brevity of their appearance in the scene a counterpoint to the stable constant of the traffic cone. "traffic cone transcending traffic" is a new media installation in progress, incorporating computer-composited dynamic video which is projected onto a static painting of the scene.
so, how does the traffic cone transcend traffic? in addition to being a stronger part of the piece due to its vibrant color and central position, it is also visible even when a car passes in between the cone and the viewer - the car becomes invisible where the cone appears. furthermore, while individual vehicles appear for a mere instant, multiple layers of the traffic cone being painted (memorialized) are shown simultaneously. the surface onto which the dynamic video is projected is a painting; the traffic cone is painted orange. the traffic is not painted at all (although the road on which the traffic travels and the barricade and other constant elements of the landscape are). the traffic cone therefore transcends the traffic by its physical reproduction, by its prominence in the composition, by its ability to make portions of vehicles disappear in order to let it remain visible, by its constant presence in the piece, and by the number of layers it occupies in the projected computer-composited digital video element of the piece.
in a single piece, "traffic cone transcending traffic" explores a few themes which are often on my mind - the nature (and definition) of painting, the evolution of painting, the use of technology in order to expand the dynamic range of color, the concept of painting as a time-based rather than a static medium, and the appreciation of traffic cones as an aesthetic practice. "traffic cone transcending traffic" is related to "square of cones," "cone time," and "eight views of a traffic cone, eight times removed (http://www.flickr.
videoing of the cone occurred on the 8th and 9th of april, 2010. painting (and videoing) the cone layers hasn't begun yet, nor have editing and programming. the final installation will be variable in size and the final painting will be completed on-site when the piece is to be shown. i will likely create a smaller version in my studio as well.
