Statement
Thanks
Links
gaspo

Contact:

Since my travels are still many, the best way to contact me is to click here to find current contact info for Scott Gasparian . Generally i reside in the San Francisco Bay Area where the surplus technology and artists using technology is abundant. However, i love to travel and would love to bring the HypKnowTrons or other art to your locale and experience yet another aspect of this world.

All of my work is available on commission as are the many yet unmade ideas that exist only as sketches or in my head. Please do not hesitate to inquire for pricing or variations of any works you see on this website or to view my current proposals list. My prices are very reasonable and the quality of the highest standards. Normal arrangements are half to engage, half due on delivery, and most pieces can be completed in under one month. The OrbiTron and smaller HypKnowTrons are a proven design that are reproduceable and yet a unique and functional Work of Art. Many variations are possible and materials can be custom selected to work with its intended surroundings

 

If you can imagine it, i can build it.

 

Thanks:
would like to publicly thank the master craftsmen who have shared their techniques and experiences with me. Without them, my art would never have reached the levels of complexity and refinement that it has.
Tim Black for his patent pending L2K technology. Tim designed a networking system that allows the Pic Microcontroller to be networked using a single wire. This system was initially designed for his L2K project installed first in 1999 at BurningMan. The "pixcell" design i currently use is a "strip" board that i designed and uses Tim's current modulation technique that allows 1024 discrete colours to be generated from a RGB LED triad. By actually controlling the brightness of the LED's, the colours remain true through motion as compared to commercial technology that uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) resulting in "blips" and "dots". I have expanded on his design and now use a custom Surface Mount board that is rugged and suitable for mounting in high speed kinetic sculptures.
for his old-world techniques for metal patina and finishing. Andrew is a true metal smith and creates custom metal and other art that is of the finest possible standards. He has also shared with me his knowledge of casting and molding which i hope i can remember to pass on again.
Thomas Brown for his welding, machining, forging, lutherie, and infinite patience. Wherever you are now Mr Brown, i hope you and your family are flourishing and happy!
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Statement:
I remember reading an old copy of Popular Science that predicted technology would make our lives easier. They even suggested that by the year 2000 we would be working 20 hours a week or less. I find it quite ironic that all the technology we have created has only made more work for us, and that most of the planet is suffering from technology instead of benefiting from it. Computers it would seem have only made more work instead of less.
There are some qualities of craftsmanship that transcend time, applicable to the earliest iron age tools and equally to the computer age. Apprenticeship is still the only way to learn the techniques employed by artists throughout history, and i am blessed to have many masters share their inheritance with me. By combining the values of attention to detail and finish, and the possibilities of computers, my works hopefully will last beyond the typical lifespan of technology.
In my work, I find the notions of interactivity and motion are timeless and appeal to the primitive animal instinct and curiosity of the human condition. As animals, we are forced to notice things that move from a survival need. Is that moving thing something that will harm me? Or is it something that might be useful as a tool? As humans, our insatiable curiosity to interact with our environment is the basis of all creation, and art. What happens if i touch this thing? Will it burn me? Will it make my life easier or more enjoyable? Can i combine the ancient art of metalsmithing with the silicon chip and high power electric motors? Can i get a pig to fly? Or a Bird to Flame?
The world of computers presents endless possibilities for creation, from video games to digital art, communication to entertainment, anything can be programmed. By using the tiniest computers, it is possible now for me to create sculptures in much the same way paint or clay serves as a medium. Combined with light, my works are no longer restricted to static images, but released into infinite possibilities.
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Links:
Fellow TechArtists
Material/Info Sources
Groups

Tim Black (aka The Wizard)

The Mad Scientists

John Wendt

Jonathan Foote

Jennifer Alexander

Cu-mie Synchro

Microchip

DigiKey

Silicon Valley Surplus Sources

The PicList

DorkBot

SRL

Flaming Lotus Girls

The Seemen

iGi

BurningMan

Cascadia

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gaspo:
In my brief stay in this life, i have strived to learn everything i can. It would seem that indeed the more i learn, the less i know. Every aspect in life seems to expand itself exponentially as i explore it, growing deeper and more intricate faster than i can open it. From the first time i took apart a television (and was promptly shocked across the basement) to the politics of modern society, just when i think i understand it all, there's another screw to be unscrewed.
I have had many "careers", including Phone Cable Technician, Unix System Administrator, Network Engineer, High School Shop Teacher and Paragliding Instructor. Since my earliest days my insatiable curiosity to how things work (both machine and man) has led me to explore the inner workings of the world. Luckily, i also have been gifted with the memory of how to re-assemble whatever i take apart. All of these experiences have given me the foundations necessary to create my sculptures.
All of my works are completely fabricated from scratch and discarded machinery. I custom design all the circuitry and hand solder all the Surface Mount components. I find it a great challenge to combine the offal of our society with the latest generations of technology. For example, the Orbitron combines 100 year old cast iron sewing machine parts with the latest Surface Mount microcontrollers. If technology can not be useful in making our lives more beautiful, then surely it must be beautiful in its use.
Perhaps someday a child will find one of my sculptures in a scrap yard and take it apart to see just how it works. Maybe they too will be inspired to combine and expand upon what i had learned and create a thing of beauty. I believe that whatever power created us and this world we live in surely did it just for the love of creation, and the creation of love.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like one of my sculptures or can challenge me with a new design. I have also collaborated with many artists and engineers and am always looking to expound and expand my experiences. I enjoy sharing my work with others more than i enjoy creating them, for sharing is indeed the foundation of learning.
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