Formed in 1987, CAE’s focus has been on the exploration of the intersections between art, critical theory, technology, and political activism. The group has exhibited and performed at diverse venues internationally, ranging from the street, to the museum, to the internet.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Critical Art Ensemble
Here is a link to/ blurb about the Critical Art Ensemble that Dan mentioned in class.
(CAE) is a collective of five tactical media practitioners of various specializations including computer graphics and web design, film/video, photography, text art, book art, and performance.
Formed in 1987, CAE’s focus has been on the exploration of the intersections between art, critical theory, technology, and political activism. The group has exhibited and performed at diverse venues internationally, ranging from the street, to the museum, to the internet.
Formed in 1987, CAE’s focus has been on the exploration of the intersections between art, critical theory, technology, and political activism. The group has exhibited and performed at diverse venues internationally, ranging from the street, to the museum, to the internet.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Thursday, October 3, 2019
"Employing" Skill To "Teach" Techniques in Jewelry- Through a Commission
By: LaMar Gayles
Expanding from my project on Archaeogemology and initial research on Gemology as a social practice, I employed a local Chicago Heights metal sculptor and forklift driver named Eric Suderow to create a piece inspired by his series of sculptures titled Iron Men which loosely pulls from the robotic imagery of several early counterculture films such as Iron Giant (which was made in a regionalistic style) and The Terminator. The purpose of the commission from Suderow is the produce an object which pulls from from the ideologies and epistemological frameworks surrounding found steel and gemstones in the late twentieth century in the United States. In this period persons were beginning to once again appreciate gemstones for their metaphysical prowess and this became popularized, simultaneously found metal became a popular material in art to showcase the overabundance in debris caused by commercialization and mechanical pollution. The product of this collaborative commission conceptually constructed by myself, but physically made by Eric Suderow is a metal pendant which consists of a pair of his signature steel robot-like hands latching onto a piece of purple chalcedony a stone often associated with natural meditation, which alludes to the developments of man-made spiritual objects which were used to amplify natural materials like stones.
In this short article we shall review parts of Suderow's process in order to gather a sense of reflexivity for the project and to provide a space for technical reflection and commentary.
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| The artist begins with a sketch on paper and then translates the design to a thick sheet of found steel , |
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| Suderow estimates the approximate spacing he will need to set the stone. It is important to note this is his first time attempting stone setting a difficult jewelry making process. He intuitively understood the complexities of spacing and the level of pressure/precision needed to set a stone in place properly. |
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| He utilizes industrial metalworking tools in his practice for sculpture and uses the same when making a piece of jewelry. Eric is approaching jewelry-making and stone-setting the eyes of an experimental sculptor who works in metal and carved/sawed media. In this image we see a pre-soldered hand being held in place by an vice while Suderow cuts divots into the respective fingers. |
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| After cutting in divots to allow the fingers opposability Suderow solders the hands together in order to craft the rough form of the desired finish piece. In addition, during the soldering process as he puts it he is attempting to "color the metal with fire" which "trained" metalsmiths call "flame patina". |
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| By using a metal cutting rotary tool Suderow refines the soldered form of the metal hands and to add opposability. |
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| Image of Suderow fitting the stone in a the work in progress steel setting. The piece is coming along and will have aesthetic bolts added as a mode of connecting to Steampunk Counterculture, which is something Suderow is interested in. |
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In Chicago: Where do Gemstones Come From?
In Chicago: Where do Gemstones Come From? The Story of Two Gemstone Stores (My Personal Pick)
Last week during my presentation, I was confronted with a simple question as to where gemstones come from and how do they get to their locations in Chicago. That said, I was totally caught off guard at the fact I couldn't simply answer this question. I needed a bit more time to explain the complexities of gemstone sales in the Americas and how the issues aren't simply with extraction from the source which leaves an environmental impact, it too is with the costs of labor at the mines in question and the politics of the spaces in which gemstones are sold in the Americas
Most of the time if you live in mineral rich areas (unlike Chicago) you can go panning (which involves going to gemstone site and going through "pre-shifted" gravel), a gemstone dealer, the mine itself, or in the already dug trenches where the gemstones are. However, internationally and in the US mining practices are highly unethical in terms of environmental devastation, but some are attempting to at least be ethical in terms of paying workers. YET MANY MINES STILL UNDERPAY WORKERS.
In Chicago (and the broader area for the people who think the "other places' where the CTA hits aren't the city) there are under ten gemstone stores which would be the area's only means of buying stones aside from online sales.
The remaining of this article will describe my experiences in two of the gemstone stores in Chicago and explain their unethical or ethical practices. One will be a negative case study and the other will serve as a positive one.
Dave's Down To Earth Rock Shop (NEGATIVE STARS AND WILL NEVER GET MY BUSINESS AGAIN)
This is one of the oldest gemstone stores in the Chicago area and also serves as a SMALL museum of dinosaurs, fossils, and pre-historic life. The store is situated in Evanston on Main St. and recently relocated across the street from their original location. I have a long history with this business as a consumer of semi-precious and precious stones. From the age of twelve and up I have gone here to do some of my "gem hunting." However, it wasn't until very recently that I was able to explain the energy I feel in the store and articulate how this is perhaps one of the most problematic gemstone businesses in the city.
First, the stones sold at Dave's come from different lapidaries, gem hunters, and collectors meaning their locality is wide which can be both positive and negative. Even though some mining locations for certain stones being highly politicized the store does not shy away from taking gemstones from dangerous or unethical sources.
The staff in the space are not pleasant to Black presences, even though I have gone here since I was a child I feel extremely isolated in this space. Upon entering I am not greeted at the door, but instead followed around the store, needing to inquire for assistance. Yet, when a white couple walked in, or a White mother and her child, or a group of White teenagers they were all separately greeted and OFFERED help around the store. It wasn't until my second visit for field work that I was greeted with an employee who did not patronize me. This isolates certain audiences from the store and makes them feel like they can't come inside. The owner assures me and other Black customers they aren't racist. Yet, I understand he might not be, but the store promotes a policy which seems to glorify retail based racism and does not do a great deal for Black customers. Another instance is that White customers, (I hear) often receive information on the stones the buying even if they are super inexpensive, but when I spend a larger amount of money on a stone I almost have to pry information aside from locality from the employee who is selling to me.
They have terrible gemstone quality assurance. Due to my many years shopping there, one practical concern of this space as a gemstone supplier is their tendency to "overlook" the quality of certain gemstones. For example, there have been at least two separate specimens I purchased from the store that were glued back together and a third piece that have a 360o fracture. That said both times when I reached back out about the lack of care on their part, they simply lifted the store no-return policy for me and gave store credit or the appropriate refund. Then, I thought what about he people that "can't" return their items if they are defective stones.
Overall, Dave's Down To Earth is a place where northside people go to learn about stones, it takes a whopping two hours by train to arrive there from Hyde Park. On several occasions the store has had the chance to support Black-jewelry projects, but only chose to support by offering sales. The staff, do not treat all patrons with the same respect, and the gemstone "sourcers" do not "care" about locality and quality to highest extent.
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| Image of a purchase from 9/23/2019 |
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| If you look at this illuminated image of the back you see a small hairline fracture. |
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| We can see this fracture stretches to one side of the stone. |
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| It also stretches to the other side of the stone. Indicating who picked it either did not care about the stone or its quality. |
Precious Possessions LTD.
Located near Jeweler's Row, Precious Possessions is a directly Chicago gemstone store. On the surface they might seem to be an overpriced version of Dave's but Precious Possessions is a bit more than that. I have had the honor or shopping here since I was twelve and know the owners. The store promotes more-so metaphysical knowledge about stones and follows different practices than Dave's.
Precious Possessions does a great deal of quality assurance. From the obscene amount of stones I have bought from the store, never have I had to look greatly for quality. This is because the persons who do selection of gemstones are actively looking for imperfections and will not take stones with major issues.
They do not take all sources for gemstones. The store actively does not have gemstones from more politicized locations like Afghanistan and Iraq, and when it comes to stones like tanzanite with problematic entanglements they attempt to source only humanely.
Secondly, the staff treat everyone that comes in with the highest respect. I've spend plenty of Saturdays at Precious Possessions and ever since I was a child I have never seen the couple who runs the space turn away anyone even members of the transient communities. (At Dave's There Is Effort To Keep Certain Persons Out.)
Overall, Precious Possessions is more accessible in terms of train and actually entering the space. The store promotes a more welcoming aura and makes persons want to walk in, versus at Dave's where you might feel as if you are taking up someones time.
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