The Pop Machine
The Pop Machine is a fusion of Installation & Performance Art. The centerpiece of this exhibit is a 15 foot tall (8Í wide x 7Í deep) structure that resembles a modern soda pop dispenser.  

This Pop Machine features a steel frame with a digital backlit print and Plexiglas front complete with flashing lights and red, blue, yellow, & green police beacons. Inside the Pop Machine is a mechanized system of making, bottling, & labeling my Pop Art. The Pop Art comes in four styles of soda pop: RED - raspberry / cherry, BLUE - blueberry cream soda, YELLOW - banana / coconut, & GREEN - sour apple.

The Pop Machine is located with itsÍ back to the wall, and surrounding it on the wall at various heights and locations (up to 24 feet off the ground) are a series of 4 enlarged (1 to 3 foot wide) light switches and buttons, which when operated by myself turn on the various lights of the Pop Machine and get the soda flowing to the bottling station. I climb the wall on white climbing holds to get to the light switches and buttons, while relying on climbing gear, rope, and techniques to ensure my safety while engaging in this activity.

The Performance component of this piece involves myself climbing in and out of ñThe Pop Machine,î activating & climbing around on the switches, buttons, and levers, making the ñPop Art,î and dispensing Soda Pop to customers. The Pop Machine is the center of activity from which everything comes and goes( IE: power cords, cables, myself).

                        POP CULTURE

This piece deals with issues relating to the struggle that artists undergo to produce, afford, and promote their work. It draws from the paradigms, methodology, and development strategies of the current and past Pop Cultures like the original Pop Art artists did in the sixties. The piece intensifies in a circular manner as I adopt the devices & ideals of these Pop Art artists. The theme of Athleticism vs. Aestheticism, and societies attraction towards thrill sport activities fuels my personal physical vigor towards the creative process of ñHigh Art.î ItÍs all about the Pop!

                              Images (on right)                              
fig 1.......Pop Machine - unlit             May 2002
fig 2.......Pop Machine - Ligth Up
fig 3.......Pop Art for Sale
fig 4.......Pop Machine Sales Counter
fig 5.......Pop Machine - Making Pop Art
fig 6.......Bottling the Pop Art
fig 7.......Pop Taps
fig 8.......Pop Machine - Climbing
fig 9.......Pop Machine - Red Light Swicth
fig 10.....Yellow, Blue, Red, & Green Pop Art
fig 11.....Pop Art Close up