data/fields: caleb coppock

CALEB COPPOCK
Graphite Sequencer, 2007-201, graphite, paper, tone generator, wire, wood, custom housed turntable

Graphite conducts electricity. The Graphite Sequencer converts this inherent quality of graphite into sound by joining the surface of a drawing with the circuitry of a simple tone generator. The project enables a tactile participation in sound production. A drawing on paper becomes a hand-rendered interface for creating sound. The circular compositions contain electrical and visual information, forming a rotating field of data. Over time, a lexicon of drawing techniques develops, producing both direct, correlated results and surprising glitches. The graphite speaks an invisible language as drawn lines are translated from their original, hand-made origins. In this work, the viewer/listener can make the direct correlation between action/connection and sound. Line and form become a language of the electrical transposed from its original human gesture/expression. The drawing and drawer and listener become part of the same circuit. This is the first showing of Coppock’s work in the DC area.

On view in Data/Fields, a new media exhibition in which the viewer/listener becomes another connection in the flow and transfer of data. The artworks presented act as hubs of sensory information—sites of signal, noise, presence, and absence.  The exhibition features works by five noted international artists, Caleb Coppock (U.S.), Mark Fell (U.K.), Andy Graydon (U.S./Germany), Ryoji Ikeda (Japan), France Jobin (Canada), and is curated by renowned sound artist Richard Chartier.
About the Artist

Caleb Coppock (b. 1977 ) works in a variety of mediums including sound, installation, painting, sculpture, and video. Much of Coppock’s work explores subtle potential embedded in both digital and natural processes. He takes a jeweler’s loup focus to the deafening availability of data with a minimalist, yet often playful, approach. Whether found on a walk in the forest, city street gutter, or meandering internet search, these often-overlooked sources become a catalyst for abstractions, patterns, forms and compositions. He earned a BFA in sculpture and new media from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2007. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including Open Source at raum500 in Munich, Germany; Litter Compositions at SLOT in Lubiaz, Poland; Summer Invitational IV at Thomas Barry Fine Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and his first solo show Soft Rot (remix) at the Bemis Underground in Omaha, Nebraska. calebcoppock.com