Current Conceptual Territory

This is a collection of work in progress by artist John L. Mueller of La Grande, OR.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

lawnmower epiphany


I dont' consider myself to be a photographer, but I saw this from the road and was smitten with the image. It ties in seamlessly to my current conceptual direction. There is something superficially hilarious about the scene, but it also struck a deep chord in me. There is also a sense of sorrow and abandonment, attrition and isolation, and it suggests a sort of concealed yet perceptable anxiety and frustration. I have thought of quite a few titles.
My recovery
Moving forward
The Longing
And on and on, the title is central to the impact. I would like to emphasize the juxtaposition of the feelings that the scene evokes in me. I'm still not sure if and how I will print it, but if nothing else it has been rich territory for me ponder as I go about my days, and I got it posted here for you.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Things that barely work.


So, I was thinking about the idea of "things that barely work" and trying to come up with iconic representations of this everyday reality. What came to mind immediately were things like tennis shoes repaired with duct tape, automobile doors that are kept shut with bungee cords, household shelving constructed out of various hastily painted scrap materials, etc.. However, as I went further and further into the thought, I began to understand that this was the beginning of an enormous and complex conceptual consideration.
What led to this piece was a realization that came to me while eating lunch at a Taco Bell. I was trying to eat my order of nachos with a spork and was struck by the frustrating ineffectiveness of it. There are also things that barely work from the most fundamental design elements. The spork is a nearly perfect example of this. They are too small and made out of weak plastic. Its not a spoon, its not a fork, and it doesn't do either very well. In spite of this, they caught on and now there are there are millions of these things. It occurred to me that the spork is an excellent representation of novelty taking precedence over function. It seems like a great idea, but we all know what its like to try and use one of these things.
So, in honor of this supreme example of the human tendency to value innovation, or almost anything that even suggests innovation, I went to the studio and created a knork.

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