Erik Otto:

All in all, I have created 24 original works — mostly paintings, but I am throwing in a few surprise 3-dimensional works as well as 2 site-specific installations. The opening nights will also be a chance to pick up a screen print series I am producing specifically for the show in a real low edition of 25.

I will save you the artsy talk and let you experience the works on your own, but for more info about the artwork please visit these links from the respective galleries. Be sure not to miss this one! Cheers.

@ White Walls
835 Larkin St, San Franciso CA 94109
opening reception: Saturday September 11 // 7-11pm
on view: September 11 – October 2

Press Release:

EVERYTHING NEVER GOES AWAY, Lost Coast Culture Machine’s third exhibition, opens with a reception Friday, August 6, from 5-9 pm. Please join us for fantastic art, self-watering planter making for kids & adults alike, and music & burgers from Joshua Short’s Grill of Steel.

EVERYTHING NEVER GOES AWAY is planned to coincide with California Coastal Cleanup Day on September 25 & riffs on the various associations between our ways of life and our trash: environmental degradation, chemical pollutants, waste management systems, refuse & recycling, plastics & the Pacific gyre, offshore oil drilling &, as if on cue, our horrific mess in the Gulf of Mexico.

The work featured in EVERYTHING NEVER GOES AWAY combines the aestheticization of trash with a commentary on American culture.  Mendocino artist, Hilary Dimock, transforms junk mail into miniature sculptures. Oakland-based artist Pete Glover presents his Junk Pirate Found Art Exhibition, in which commonplace items such as antiquated video game controllers are exploited for their aesthetic, as well as nostalgic, properties. In Rebecca Najdowski’s stop-motion video Trace, the natural world provides the setting for discarded remnants of the human material world to become biomorphic entities that invade, grow, and struggle with the space. Jane Kim & Joshua Short, both recent artists-in-residence at Recology San Francisco (the San Francisco Dump), use found and scavenged materials as their media. Kim, trained in scientific illustration, uses reclaimed house paint and sheetrock to make paintings that combine depictions of endangered species with architectural elements of design. Short’s Grill of Steel is a spectacular & fully functional DJ booth/hamburger grill constructed entirely of items scavenged from the SF Dump.

A selection of prints & photographs made by Louisiana artists in the wake of the April 20 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion comes to us courtesy of Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans. Brian Borrello, Teresa Cole, Stephen Collier, Bob Compton, Jennifer Odem, Cynthia Scott, Dan Rule, Dan Tague, & Charlie Varley react to the environmental disaster through their work. Proceeds from the sale of these prints will be donated to Gulf Aid, a 501(c3) nonprofit corporation established in response to the biggest oil spill in US history.

LCCM will be participating in California Coastal Cleanup Day as Beach Captains at Blues Beach, north of Fort Bragg. In addition to cleaning the beach, we will engage in a collective & collaborative creative endeavor with the trash & recyclables we collect before their disposal.

Lost Coast Culture Machine is located at 190 East Elm Street @ Franklin Street at the North End of Fort Bragg (across from the bowling alley). Hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 11am to 6pm. For more information, email info@lostcoastculturemachine.org or call 707.961.1600.

1 ) Describe your process of creating a new piece.

After collecting typewriters, I carefully disassemble them without damaging any components. I then categorized them by how they correspond to the anatomy; for instance, I have a whole bin full of clavicles. These steps take many hours before I even get to create, but I’ve found that it’s a very important part of my process.

I come to the bench with a pose or figure in mind after having done traditional and digital sketches, either using Photoshop or a couple of different 3D programs to get it straight in my head. I’ve had an excellent live model to work with recently as well, which has been a boon for me creatively in the last couple of pieces I’ve done.

When doing a human figure I tend to start with the spine and pelvis, working outward. I have to spend quite a bit of time on this step in order to be sure that the weight of the entire piece can be supported.

For the human figures, I’ve spent as little as 400 hours and as much as 1400 hours assembling them. When I assemble, I don’t solder, weld, glue, or wire any of the individual parts together. I use the screws, set-pin collars, pins, springs, nuts, bolts, and snap rings to attach all of the pieces. I minimally alter the parts, but I have taken to doing a little bending, drilling, and cutting, but not so that it’s visible, at least not to those unfamiliar with typewriter components.

2 ) How did you get started working with reclaimed materials?

When I was around 10 I used to lay on the floor to the side of my mom’s old Underwood, pushing the keys and watching the mechanisms inside. I imagined myself flying through the linkages as they moved as if in one of the planes flying between the massive skyscrapers in Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”. In the mid 1990′s I was working on drawings and paintings with a sci-fi fantasy theme that were packed with components and their unknown functions and processes. I was given a typewriter by a relative- I was supposed to bring it to the thrift store. I remembered my hours staring at that Underwood when I was young, and decided I was going to see what was inside this little Olivetti that I had been given. I loved what I saw. When I started doing this, it seemed as though typewriters were doomed to obsolescence, so in them I found an almost limitless and inexpensive source of interesting material to work with. The fact that I was reconfiguring something that was waning in utility was intensely interesting to me. At the time, recycling was important to me, and I thought that what I was doing was recycling because it seemed inevitable that the typewriter would fade from use completely and become nothing more than an historical relic. It seems though that typewriters are having a bit of a comeback and are in fashion, so I can’t really say that I’m recycling since the typewriter still has some use, even though it’s a fashionable extra step in digitizing text or a decorative collector’s item. Manual and electric typewriters are still manufactured and used worldwide.

3 ) If you had to explain your work to a stranger, how would you do it.

After explaining my process, I would say that I’m trying to show the human connection to the typewriter and to our machines in general. In the early stages of typewriter design, so many of the parts were manufactured with flowing curves and details that simply weren’t necessary for the function of the machine. They were there because of the relationship people still had 100 years or so ago with nature- they were mimicking the processes they were familiar with in the world around them in a very crude and unsophisticated way, relative to what we know now, but with a focus on aesthetic beauty. One can see how this diminishes over the years in the design of the typewriter.

4 ) What do you love most about living in the Bay Area?

I spent a long time in Tahoe, which isn’t really known as a cultural destination, so it was difficult to find people who related to the kind of work I do. I love it there, but I was bored to death of recreation. In the Bay Area there are many, many people to whom I can relate, and I feel like I can contribute to something that more than a just a handful of people are into.  The Bay Area is also fairly small and accessible, which is surprising considering how influential this place is globally. I like to be close to both natural beauty and a vibrant cultural center, and few places on earth have so much of both as the Bay Area does.

5 ) What future direction do you see your work taking?

I’ve got some digital skills that have been kind of dormant for the last couple of years, as well as some moldmaking and casting experience I’d like to put back to work. I’m really interested in seeing what I can do with 3D printing. I’ll continue the typewriter stuff for quite some time, but I’m going to expand my craft in the near future. That direction has been getting clearer to me in the last year or so.

6 ) Music and culture? (What kind of music you like and community events you go to?)

It’s hard to say what I listen to lately. I have been listening to a lot of stuff on Daytrotter lately, but have been a little lax in seeking anything out. Any recommendations, anyone?

7 ) Is there an artist/designer that has influenced you with your work or you look to for inspiration?

I find that more and more I’m looking at architecture as an inspiration for my interest in assembly and how things fit together. Zaha Hadid’s architecture and sculpture has been really interesting to me lately.

8 ) What excites you now?

Don’t know where to begin. This is the most exciting time in the history of humankind to be alive, whether you think it’s good or bad. I’m having a blast just trying to keep up. The future is pretty exciting to me. So much has happened in so little time since I was born. It’s difficult to even imagine what’s next, but fun trying.

9 ) Where do you go to relax and/or find inspiration for your pieces?

I like to go to Tahoe and just jump in the lake once in awhile. It’s kind of home for me, and sitting on the beach in the summer is pretty heavenly. That recharges me a little.

Otherwise I find that meditating is where a lot of my work gets done. It really helps just to sit and relax for a spell and just let all of the thousands of parts I have in my inventory make a place for themselves in my head.

10 ) When are you the most productive?

At the last minute, usually. I stay busy and work every day, but when it comes down to the wire I can get a lot more done.

11 ) Do you have any new projects and/ or upcoming shows, etc…?

I plan on starting a new full-scale nude female figure as well as some smaller pieces incorporating clear casting resin. I have a show coming up in San Diego in September at Device Gallery as part of the Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair. Lots of other shows to follow.

12 ) What show did you last attend? Either your show or someone else’s

The last show I attended was my own, called “Machinations”, along with Nemo Gould and Benjamin Cowden at 5 Claude Lane Gallery in San Francisco.

It’s still up until August 21st.  It’s a brand new, beautiful gallery space and I’m very happy to be part of the show there. Leila Seppa, the director at 5 Claude, has been great and has created a gorgeous place to show art.

Jeremy Mayer narrows in on the human form. Mayer’s pieces are crafted by assembling vintage typewriter pieces to portray anatomically correct human figures.  His latest piece, Nude IV – “Delilah”is a 6 foot tall figure, named both for model Delilah Brown and for the biblical character Delilah from the story of Samson and Delilah.

Press Release:

Sculptor Nemo Gould displays a collection of robotic creatures and small world-scapes crafted from salvaged material.  Forgotten remnants of gadgets, broken tools, and other objects that were formerly cast aside, now have new life with Gould’s interactive installations. Citing inspiration from his love of science fiction and cartoons, Gould’s work playfully evokes child-like sentiments – all the while exploring ideas about sustainability, objectification, and the struggle for definition.

Press Release:

Oakland-based sculptor Benjamin Cowden’s work also utilizes interactive mechanical pieces, focusing on machinery and the interplay between gears and movement.  His hand-cranked machines thoughtfully examine issues of everyday life, including his exhibit titled “A Series of Arbitrary but Passionate Decisions” which examines the dilemma of the unforsee-ability of life.

Suzanne Lee:

We are currently outlining our collaborative research direction which will bring together synthetic biology, chemical engineering and design towards future material applications.

Using green tea and ingenuity from the science department at Imperial College. Suzanne Lee, the lead creative director for biocouture, is transforming science fiction into reality.  If bacteria can produce a textile from something as simple as green tea, then the possibilities for application will have few limitations.

What bacteria clothing concoction would you make?

Mix bacteria with your favorite meal or cocktail to have evening to match, seems a bit strange, but evidentially possible.

These 4 billion year old creatures will seemingly educate us in waste management, with their nifty production skills.

Would you wear something made from bacteria and trash?

+biocouture

When I first showed up at Erik’s studio, we started talking about an installation he was building for a house in Soma.  Upon inspection of how much space and the new environment he had acquired, he was very excited and raved about ”activating the space.”

The summer months will bring a visual transformation to the San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design. Four California artists will enhance the bricks and mortar of our galleries with installations intended as encompassing experiences. Using traditional craft materials of paper, fiber, metal, and wood, this large-scale exhibition will recontextualize these mediums, pushing their limits to new artistic heights. Be prepared to fully engage once you enter our Museum space, and to enjoy a new level of excitement at SFMC+D.

One of our past featured artists Christine Lee (wood) will be exhibiting at SFMCD. Along with Tanya Aguiniga (fiber), Paul Andrew Whayes (paper) and Thomas Hill (metal).

via SFMCD.org

Here are some more facts why tap water is better than bottled:

First, the most obvious reason being that it doesn’t come packaged in a single use container that has a huge carbon footprint compared to tap water, and why pass up the luxury of water delivered directly to your house–everyday–via Tap?

The Environmental Working Group did a study that found some brands of bottled water had hight levels of chlorine above California State Regulations would permit for tap water, which was also reported on the fair and balanced Fox News Network.

Tap water regulations will not allow any form of E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria, while the FDA has no prohibition of these bacteria in bottled water.

Be careful of the snake oil marketing that leads you to think bottled water is healthier, and if it is the taste of tap water that discourages you, take the time you would of used to buy a crate of tap water to buy lemons instead.

via Fox News

If you live in a city like New York where the Leaf Collection Program was canceled due to the lack of city funds, then you may have wondered about various ways to dispose of your bagged instead of sending them out with the regular trash where they end up taking valuable space in the landfill. Depending on the type of trees and the condition of the trees, various areas may experience leaf falling as early as middle to late summer; and with autumn approaching in September, it may be prudent to start planning now on ways to recycle your leaves before that time comes.

In the beginning years of the creation of our community garden in Brooklyn New York, our members established a Leaf Containment Center which was just a space cordoned off with mesh to hold leaves which we intended to collect and save for using in the compost bin as one of the carbon sources, an important component in compost which provides energy to the microbes and worms breaking down the organic waste. The block where our Community Garden is located is full of mostly London Plane trees which not only shed bark, but their leaves at an furious pace starting in mid to late summer. When we first started our compost bin, it was either late spring or summer of a season and not yet aware of the amount of leaves the block generated, we’d hunt for leaves at local parks and we’d also ask our neighbors for their bag fulls. I would multi – task by taking a bag with me on my runs in the park. At the end of my runs, I’d fill fill my bag with leaves and carry home with me to refill and save in the Leaf Containment Center . As summer wore on that season, we realized that the leaves on our block were plenty and we were able to collect and store them without having to gather at the park or go around asking. As a result, our Leaf Containment Center grew and to continue in it’s growth, we began to accept and ask neighbors to drop their leaves off to the Garden.

The brown leaves serve multiple purposes in the gardening processes, so in saving them, the environment is benefits significantly. Adding leaves to the compost gives energy to the bacteria in the compost (hot piles which are mixed with “green” nitrogen sources) pile, allowing for the creation of rich organic soil and fertilizer. Even if you are not adding the leaves to a bin in which a “fast” pile of compost if brewing, allowing the leaves to sit in a pile and decompose over time in a “slow” pile will generate a rich compost over a matter of time. So if you don’t have the time or want to start a compost bin/pile, keeping your leaves in area to decompose slowly will eventually create a rich soil gradully and will keep the leaves out of plastic bags and out of the landfill.

Another garden member got creative and started using the plentiful supply of leaves we have in the Leaf Containment Center as a mulch to preserve moisture and water in her planting bed. As this member demonstrated, crushed leaves can be used the same way as wood chips, spread over the top layer of the soil at the base of your plants, holding water in and preventing evaporation from drying out the earth.

On a recent garden work day, we discovered yet another use for the leaves. Some members were eager to do away with a pile of bagged leaves we’d been waiting to add to the Leaf Containment Center (it was full to the brim due to tons of donations over the previous summer and fall seasons and through our own collections). After some thought we decided to use the leaves as an underlying layer in a bird habitat we were creating. To create the habitat, we started off with rocks as the bottom layer to create height. Over the rocks we emptied the bags of leaves which would eventually be topped off with layers of soil where bird and butterfly attracting foliage would be planted. Being very eco-conscious, we were careful in opening the bags of leaves in an attempt to preserve and reuse as many bags as we could. Using the leaves as an underlying layer in the habitat allowed us to keep 20 – 30 plastic bag fulls of leaves out of the landfill. These leaves now have a second life, incarnated as fertilizer in the underlying layer of the habitat.