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Michael DavisRio Tinto Mine, Madagascar (Rare Earth)2020
2020
About the Item
While navigating Landsat records of Earth's land surfaces from space I discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. These were immense open pit mines at numerous locations worldwide, many of which were Rare Earth mines or REEs.
A digital image of a rare earth mine in Madagascar in combination with Landsat imagery, vintage damask wallpaper, gestural painting and symbols/signifiers of wealth and colonialism.
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The Rare Earth artworks grew out of my investigative research in 2009 while working on a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF) application. That resulted in a body of work titled “Imagos”– photo/journalism images that capture a moment in history and immediately place the viewer at that moment in time.
While navigating Landsat records of Earth's land surfaces from space I discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. These were immense open pit mines at numerous locations world wide, many of which were Rare Earth mines or REEs. The mining and processing to separate the rare earth elements is an environmental conundrum. On one hand these elements are in extremely high demand and necessary for electric vehicles and digital devices. On the other, these mining operations disrupt and destroy huge areas of open land, displace whole communities and exploit and deplete natural resources leaving behind toxic waste degradation. I began to incorporate these Landsat images into a new body of work titled “Rare Earth.”
Each Rare Earth artwork includes an archival image of a specific mine rendered in classic 3D (anaglyph) off-registration referencing mid-century exuberant optimism, geo-political history, cultural signifiers, symbolic design patterns and phenomena. They are built from a collection of found materials, fabrics, wallpapers, digital imagery, paint, and precious metals. The digital Landsat image is positioned in juxtaposition to the other compositional elements to create a disruptive collage/painting of spacial contradictions, surface/depth and multiple cultural interpretations.
I begin each artwork with research. I navigate the Landsat archived images of mining operations world-wide. The collection of images is curated to those which share a similar visual familiarity and composition. The found materials are photographed and archived. I decide on a size and format then start building a photoshop model from the archival imagery-hundreds of arrangements and possibilities are tested. Then one just works.
From the model image the actual artwork evolves in the studio. What was once a model is now a reference. The act of making, testing material compatibility, critical evaluation, chance, gesture and the illuminating accident often shift the final concept. The artwork has a life of its own.
- Creator:Michael Davis (1948, American)
- Creation Year:2020
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 34 in (86.36 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Palm Desert, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU166629629142
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The Rare Earth artworks grew out of my investigative research in 2009 while working on a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF) application. That resulted in a body of work titled “Imagos”– photo/journalism images that capture a moment in history and immediately place the viewer at that moment in time.
While navigating Landsat records of Earth's land surfaces from space I discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. These were immense open pit mines at numerous locations world wide, many of which were Rare Earth mines or REEs. The mining and processing to separate the rare earth elements is an environmental conundrum. On one hand these elements are in extremely high demand and necessary for electric vehicles...
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The Rare Earth artworks grew out of my investigative research in 2009 while working on a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF) application. That resulted in a body of work titled “Imagos”– photo/journalism images that capture a moment in history and immediately place the viewer at that moment in time.
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Quote from RT on style subject matter.
From the model image the actual artwork evolves in the studio. What was once a model
is now a reference. The act of making, testing material compatibility, critical evaluation,
chance, gesture and the Illuminating accident often shift the final concept. Ine artwork
has a lite of its own.
The Rare Earth artworks grew out of my investigative research in 2009 while working on a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF) application. That resulted in a body of work titled “Imagos”– photo/journalism images that capture a moment in history and immediately place the viewer at that moment in time.
While navigating Landsat records of Earth's land surfaces from space I discovered large areas of disturbed landscapes. These were immense open pit mines at numerous locations world wide, many of which were Rare Earth mines or REEs. The mining and processing to separate the rare earth elements is an environmental conundrum. On one hand these elements are in extremely high demand and necessary for electric vehicles...
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