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SEE THESE CHERRIES?
THEY'RE GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL IN ANOTHER FEW WEEKS.
FOR PULLMAN WASHINGTON ARTIST, JACK DOLLHAUSEN,
THE FLOW OF LIGHT AND COLORS IN HIS GARDEN
REFLECT THE RANDOMNESS OF NATURE, A RANDOMNESS THAT
FINDS A HOME IN HIS CREATIVE WORKS.
A VETERAN ARTIST WITH OVER 43 YEARS OF EFFORTS AND A
PAST CAREER AS A FINE ARTS PROFESSOR AT WASHINGTON
STATE UNIVERSITY, JACK HAS MANAGED TO FUSE THE WORLD
OF ENGINEERING AND FINE ARTS INTO ONE.
TINKERING IN HIS SHOP WITH THE TOOLS OF HIS TRADE, A
HOT SOLDERING GUN AND A CACOPHONY OF ASSORTED
COMPUTER CHIPS AND WIRES, DOLLHAUSEN EXPOUNDS ON THE
BEGINNING OF HIS JOURNEY INTO THE ART WORLD.
SOLID STATE ELECTRONICS WAS JUST BEGINNING MIDDLE
60'S.
AND I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF
MOVING THINGS AND ONE WAY TO APPARENTLY MOVE THINGS
WAS TO SWITCH LIGHTS.
SO I GOT INTO LIGHT BULBS REAL BIG-TIME, AND IT WAS
INTRIGUING TO ME THAT I COULD MAKE A PATTERN OF
LIGHT BULBS AND PUT THAT INTO MOTION AND CONTROL
IT.
THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF OUR SENSES.
IN OTHER WORDS I COULD MOVE IT FAST ENOUGH SO
THAT YOU COULDN'T SEE IT MOVING.
THAT'S AN AMAZING POWER.
IT'S LIKE BEING GIVEN A PALETTE WITH THIS WHOLE
SPECTRUM, AND I COULD DO THE SWITCHING WITH
SOLID-STATE ELECTRONICS.
NO NOISE NO HEAT.
AFTER ABOUT 10 YEARS OF BUILDING QUITE SIMPLE
THINGS, COMPUTER CHIPS CAME ALONG.
SO I BEGAN PROGRAMMING A LITTLE BIT AND QUESTIONS
WOULD COME UP LIKE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
IF A MACHINE HAS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, I
WONDER WHETHER ARTIFICIAL SENSE OF HUMOR WOULD YOU
KNOW, WHAT MAKES A JOKE FUNNY.
THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS COME UP.
YOU WOULDN'T THINK SO AT THE COOL END OF A
SOLDERING IRON YOU'D BE THINKING OF THINGS LIKE
THAT BUT I DID A LOT.
IN A WAY I'M KIND OF AN EXISTENTIAL ENGINEER.
YOU COULD SAY I MAKE MACHINES FOR REASONS OF
THEIR QUALITIES, RATHER THAN THEIR FUNCTION AND I
THINK ART CAN BE DEFINED THAT WAY - OBJECTS MADE
FOR THEIR QUALITIES.
THAT WAY YOU GET OUT OF TRYING TO DEFINE WHAT YOU
DO.
MANY OF JACK'S MACHINES, AT TIMES APPEAR TO HAVE A
CONSCIENCE, AS THEY MONITOR THEIR
SURROUNDINGS, MOST OF THEM RESPOND TO PEOPLE.
AT FIRST I JUST DID THAT, BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT THEM
RUNNING WHEN NO-ONE WAS AROUND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A
TREE FALLING IN THE FOREST, AND I DIDN'T WANT
TO USE ENERGY IF NOBODY WAS SEEING IT.
SO I JUST PUT IN A MOTION DETECTOR LIKE A SWITCH IT
SHUTS OFF WHEN NO ONE'S AROUND, BUT OF COURSE THE
MINUTE I SUCCEEDED IN GETTING ONE OF THOSE TO
WORK, EVERYTHING CHANGED BECAUSE THEN IT WAS
SUDDENLY RESPONDING AND ANTHROPOMORPHISM IS SORT
OF AN ACADEMIC MORTAL SIN BUT IT'S MY HOBBY.
I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF A MACHINE HAVING A
PERSONALITY THAT YOU'VE CONVERSED WITH A LITTLE
BIT.
BY ELICITING RESPONSES TO ACTIONS AND SOUNDS,
COUPLED WITH THE FLOWING VISUAL OF EXPOSED WIRING,
JACK'S MACHINES TAKE ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN WHEN
STIMULATED.
WITHIN A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 6 FEET THIS CAN DETECT HOW
FAR AWAY YOU ARE FROM THE PIECE.
AND BY DOING THAT AND HOW QUICKLY THAT CHANGES.
IT TAKES THOSE VARIABLES FROM YOU AND INCLUDES THEM
IN A DANCE THAT IS PROGRAMMED TO DO.
THE DANCE IS THE DIRECTION OF THE LIGHTS.
THE SPEED THAT THEY CAN GO HOW BRIGHT OR DIM THEY ARE
AS I APPROACH IT.
IT COMES ON, AND IT WILL RESPOND TO MY MOTION WITH
ITS MOTION, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HAPPENING NOW AS
I GET CLOSER TO IT.
IT GETS A LITTLE BRIGHTER, AND A LITTLE MORE
STRIDENT, AND IT WILL MAKE A LITTLE MORE SOUND AND
THE CLOSER I GET THE MORE STRIDENT IT GETS.
AND IF I GET TOO CLOSE IT GOES KIND OF BERSERK.
AND THEN IT WILL SETTLE DOWN IF I STEP AWAY.
ANOTHER OF JACK'S MACHINES, ON THE HOUR
CHIMES AWAY, SEEMINGLY DESIRING A REMOTE ACTION
SO IT CAN ELICIT A RESPONSE.
WELL IT'S A CLOCK AND IT CHIMES THE HOUR.
AND IT ALSO MAKES UP THESE MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS USING
THE MOTION IN PROXIMITY OF A VIEWER SO IT HAS ALL
THESE VARIABLES IT PUTS TOGETHER TO MAKE THESE
HARMONICS...
A LOT OF FUN TO MAKE I'LL TELL YA.
AND THIS IS KIND OF A LOOPY THING.
PEOPLE EITHER LOVE THIS THING OR THEY HATE IT.
ANOTHER CHIME.
I GOT IT SET UP SO THAT A CERTAIN DISTANCE I CAN
MAKE IT DO THE CHIME.
THATS A PRETTY DIGNIFIED ONE.
SOME OF THEM SOUND LIKE A KID WITH A TIN CAN AND A
STICK.
FROM A MAN WHO TAUGHT FIGURATIVE SCULPTURE, JACK
HAS MANAGED TO CREATE OBJECTS THAT STRIP AWAY
THE EXTERIOR, HIGHLIGHTING THE FORM UNDERNEATH THE
FORM.
I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT A GOOD WORK OF ART LEAVES MORE
SPACE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
MY WORK GETS INTERPRETED IN ALL KINDS OF WEIRD
WAYS, BECAUSE IT'S SO ABSTRACT, IMAGE WISE.
PEOPLE DON'T FIND A FIGURE IN IT.
I HOPE IT ALL KIND OF INTEGRATES THE WAY THE
POPPIES GROW HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE WAY I DO MY
WIRING.
ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY ABSTRACT AND IT HAS TO
FUNCTION THE WAY THOSE WIRES ARE HOOKED TOGETHER
MEAN A LOT TO ME IN TERMS OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT IN
A VISIBLE THING.
THERE'S NO PHONY WIRE, EVERYTHING CARRIES
ELECTRICITY CUT A WIRE AND THE PIECE IS DISABLED IS A
NICE KIND OF VULNERABILITY TO THAT TOO.
TO QUOTE VOLTAIRE HIS ADVICE TO THE YOUNG
ARTIST, KEEP YOUR LIFE AS SIMPLE AS YOU CAN SO THAT
YOUR ABSTRACTIONS CAN BECOME AS COMPLEX AS YOU
NEED, AND I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS GOOD
ADVICE.