Sprites (2012) previews a forthcoming collection of etched copper-plates with aluminium and brass inserts depicting classic video game characters.
A sprite is a reserved area of computer memory storing a transient representation of an animation or image. By casting this data in physical materials this flux of chaos is fixed (Head and Paraskos, 2008).
Planned work in the collection will explore a wider palette of colours and textures through the colouring, patination and bronzing of metals allowing for the creation of more detailed characters from Mario and Luigi to Frak!
James Grahame has kindly featured my Atari Punk Console - VCS Tribute Edition on his awesome blog RetroThing.com. If you don't know the blog and you love vintage gadgets and technology then I highly recommend a visit. There's more dirty circuits, obsolete gizmos and wilful retrospection than you can shake a light pen at!
A shift register is a type of integrated circuit used in digital electronics to manipulate information within an electronic system. Shift registers can be found in a diverse range of equipment from washing machines to smartphones.
The Texas Instruments 74HC595 is one such device. It is an 8-bit serial-in, parallel-out shift register – a single input controls eight simultaneous outputs.
The speed at which a 74HC595 operates is controlled by a timer or clock. In a typical application it will execute millions of instructions per second.
The work presented here is a 74HC595 with it's clock and other functions replaced by manual controls. Without intervention the 74HC595 will not operate. Manual Shift Register challenges the orthodoxy of automation in electronic systems. It represents the antithesis of autocorrect - the momentum of the circuit is subjugated to the will of the operator.
A video demonstrating the work follows. Various manual controls determine the input and operation of the device and it's internal state and output are shown using LEDs and a 7-segment display.
Manual Shift Register represents a study towards a larger piece of work applying similar themes and techniques to the construction of an electronic musical instrument. The 29 registers of a MOS Technology 6581 SID chip will be exposed to direct operation using an analogous array of physical controls.
The 6581 is a hybrid digital/analog 3-voice electronic music synthesiser manufactured on a single semiconductor die. It was designed by Bob Yannes for Commodore and used in several of their home computers during the 1980s including the Commodore 64. It's unique sound – so called chiptune or chip music – has become popular with both mainstream and independent artists.
Dirty Circuits is a collection of framed limited edition prints and etched copperclad laminates inspired by the printed circuit boards of classic vintage synthesisers.
In the dark and dusty interiors of the music machines of an abandoned era we discover a compelling world etched in copper. Hidden beneath ageing components the paths and patterns of these forgotten circuits evoke systems that extend beyond the merely electronic towards the mechanical, the architectural and even the organic.
For the prints I used Daler-Rowney water soluble block printing ink on 300g/m2, 100% rag, acid-free and ageing resistant grabado printing paper. A hand operated screw press was used to print from a 1 mm thick copper plate which was etched in a tank of sodium persulfate. The press was built in my workshop from an original design.
For the etched laminates I used 0.8 mm and 1.6 mm thick glass epoxy FR-4 boards clad with a 0.035 mm thick layer of copper. The boards were etched in a tank of sodium persulfate. Following the etching process the reddish-brown tarnish of the exposed copper is polished to a warm textured lustre giving a brighter more reddish-gold appearance. The work is then sealed using Servisol Plastic Seal 60. This durable plastic insulator protects the copper from further oxidisation and surfaces the work with a semigloss finish.
Hardware sequencer prototype intended as a research and development platform for unconventional approaches to music sequencing and composition. Current firmware version supports basic input and output only. Software and hardware are adapted from the Arduinome architecture and are compatible with Arduino - the physical computing platform.
Materials used are 3mm laser cut white acrylic, double sided copper clad FR4 laminate etched in sodium persulphate, silicon rubber button pad, stock arcade machine parts and miscellaneous electronic components.
From Forrest M. Mimm's 1980 publication "Engineer's Notebook: Integrated Circuit Applications" came the stepped tone generator - two 555 timer ICs are configured to create a single square (pulse) wave. Kaustic Machines coined the term Atari Punk Console to describe the circuit as it's output is similar to the sounds of the Atari VCS games console of the 1980s.
The work featured here is a DIY build of an Atari Punk Console inspired analogue synthesiser known as the Dub-Step-Arcade designed by Matt The Modulator (aka Matthew Newlove). As a tribute to it's origins in the dusty circuits of the 1980s the build is housed in a heavily modified Atari VCS enclosure.
Materials used include hand machined matte black acrylic control panel and Atari VCS enclosure, laser engraved gloss black acrylic fascia (RazorLAB), salvaged mains power supply, reconditioned stock Atari VCS DPDT switches, stock arcade machine parts and miscellaneous fixtures, fittings and electronic components.
I am an artist and outsider engineer living in Brighton on the south coast of England. My work is inspired by vintage technology. It aims to celebrate the abandoned, the derelict and the obsolete.
I create original artwork and unique devices inspired by vintage technology. Some of my work will soon be available to buy online at Folksy, Etsy, Storenvy and on eBay. Please contact me if you'd like to know more.
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Further content can be found on YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.
