Weather Station Documentation (2010) Videos Chicago White sox

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Michael Decker Weather Station February 19 -- March 12, 2010 Opening Reception: Friday, February 19th, 6--11 pm Dan Graham is pleased to present a multimedia installation by Los Angeles artist Michael Decker. Unlike most weather stations, Decker's forecasting devices aim to create an environment where constant speculation overshadows any concern for achieving accuracy or delivering findings. By merging early forecasting techniques with narratives from popular weather lore, as well as Decker's own childhood experience partaking in a weather report/art showcase amalgamation, he uses free association as a synchromystic process for locating hidden signs that can help explain how intuitive decisions are made as they are made. The sculptures become randomized as one apparatus interferes with the next, continuously changing the conditions of the space. Through an orchestrated act involving adapted motors and colored lights, the weather report is formalized as a set of predictable movements occurring at slightly varying intervals of time. Decker transforms found objects and common art installation materials such as furniture blankets, a stepladder, and plywood crates in an alchemic process where symbolic meaning predicts the trends of changing climates. Decker began showing his artwork as a backdrop for the local weather reports on ABC 30 Action News in Fresno, California. News anchor Nick Ryan was the personality responsible for showcasing his early drawings. Ryan's commentaries gave him the appearance of someone enthusiastic about promoting young artists. In the video titled Nick Ryan Tape, Decker's drawing depicts a cartoonish self portrait surrounded by famous White Sox baseball players from different eras. Nick Ryan was arrested in 2004 on three counts of suspected lewd and lascivious acts with children younger than 14. Decker never met Nick Ryan, nor did he receive anything beyond his mediated approval as a young artist 11 years previous to his arrest. Weather Station presupposes what may have interested Ryan in Decker's drawings by closely examining each segment to determine a consistent artistic criteria, as well as, relating the knowledge of his conviction to a common homosocial theme involving the young artist in the company of older men. Michael Decker was born in Spokane, Washington in 1982. He grew up in Fresno, California and received a bachelor's degree from California Institute of the Arts in 2005. Recently, his work has been exhibited in Los Angeles at, S1F Gallery, Five Thirty Three, Circus Gallery, High Energy Constructs, and Bonelli Contemporary.

Author:

MichaelDeckerStudio

Tags:

Michael, Decker's, Weather, Station, at, Dan, Graham

Duration:

300 seconds

View count:

198