6A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 24. 2005
ARTS
Professor intertwines metal and art
Robot simulates life, death and turns science into a sculpture masterpiece
Steven Bartkoski/KANSAN
David Bowen, associate professor of sculpture, prepares his moving phototrophic drawing device. Bowen's piece makes art with a small kinetic device that attracts itself to 10 hanging lights. Bowen built the device to mimic the natural function of a plant attracting itself toward sunlight. His other sculptures can be seen at www.people.ku.edu/~dwbowen.
BY NEL MULKA
nmulka@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
If the left brain and the right brain were to mate, nine months later David Bowen would be born.
Bowen, assistant professor in sculpture, uses materials traditionally found in the science world metal, solar panels and circuitry to create his art robotic sculpture.
These sculptures crawl, hum, draw and observe their worlds, breaking away from the general public's normal perception of sculture.
"The prejudice about sculpture is that it's very stationary and very static," Bowen said. "I like the idea of making something move."
He often refers to a quote by John Maeda, a fellow artist, graphic designer and a computer scientist, about how art makes people want to live longer.
"The arts are the science of enjoying life."
Meet the machines
WORLD
While Bowen denies that his art makes life worth living, his art certainly seems alive.
Like a starving man in a desert crawling toward an oasis, the phototrophic drawing device — a robot about two inches cubed with a solar cell on top of it — moves to a pool of light projected from above.
It moves stiffly, leaving behind a trail of footprints in the form of dashes from an attached piece of soft charcoal.
Once it reaches the light, it moves in a fast circular pattern, creating a dark circle.
"In a lot of ways, once you wire the circuit together, it's alive," Bowen said. "It's seeking
out its food — light — which gives it power."
The phototrophic drawing device can also simulate another life function — death.
Bowen left one of the devices on his office desk while he was gone. When he came back, he found it on the floor, smashed from falling off the desk.
The robot was trying to reach light and killed itself, he said.
"It was kind of a sad time," Bowen said. "I was a bit depressed."
Bowen might have taken more of an emotional hit than a financial one. One phototrophic drawing device costs about $20 to make.
Another robotic sculpture, "50 Drones," explores group activity.
"50 Drones" is a device that
has 50 circles with one-inch diameters suspended from tenfoot power cords that are connected to a ring above.
Each drone uses motors similar to those in cell phones to move. This sculpture costs him about $175 to create.
"50 Drones" illustrates grouptype behavior such as a school of fish or people displacing each other in a crowd, Bowen said.
This sculpture has been in galleries in San Francisco, New York and will be featured in the Thailand New Media Arts festival in June in Bangkok.
There he met Guy Baldwin, professor of art at Minnesota, who worked with kinetic, or moving sculpture. While studying there, Bowen learned how to use the tools to make sculpture move.
Bowen got interested in robotic sculpture while working on his masters of fine arts at the University of Minnesota.
Bowen also found out about William Durfee, professor of mechanical engineering at Minnesota.
The making of a maker
Every year, Durfee's sophomore engineering class has to make simple robots on a limited budget.
"I knew if I could meet that guy, he would be somebody fun to work with," Bowen said. "Fortunately enough for me, he was willing."
Bowen quickly progressed in his mechanical engineering classes.
engineering student because he was so good at using this technology." Durfee said, "He put some engineering students to shame."
Bowen received early inspiration from the robotic/kinetic sculpture "Homage to New York" by Swiss artist Jean Tinguely. That sculpture destroyed itself as part of the exhibit in 1960.
"It's very violent, very chaotic." Bowen said. "I guess that was my adolescent stage at looking at kinetics."
Robotics is an interesting and growing field that artists can use for their interests. McCrea said.
Movement is a part of sculpture that's been missing in the art department, said Judith McCrea, art department chairwoman, and Bowen represents that aspect.
"Artists are going to use whatever is available," McCrea said. "And they're going to use computers and robotics in a new and interesting way."
"He was almost an honorary
From Gopher to Javhawk
He helps inexperienced sculpture students execute their ideas, Caitlin Lash, Overland Park junior, said.
Bowen came to the University of Kansas last fall and teaches sculpture classes.
Next fall, Bowen plans to teach a kinetic sculpture class and looks forward to teaching a drawing class as well.
"He's good at finding different solutions to choose from," Lash said. "He finds out different ways to make your idea work."
Demystifying sculpting processes, such as welding and woodcutting, is one of Bowen's favorite aspects of teaching.
Edited by Jennifer Voldness
Bowen would like to make a sculpture like "50 Drones," but with 500 units.
Death toll hits 400 in Iran earthquake
SARBAGH, Iran — Under a cold, driving rain, survivors wailed over the bodies of the dead and dug through the ruins of mud-brick houses searching for their loved ones after a powerful earthquake flattened villages in central Iran on Tuesday, killing at least 420 people.
The toll was expected to rise, because rescue teams did not have a final count from the three most isolated villages in the mountainous region. About 30,000 people were affected, many left homeless when some villages were reduced to piles of dirt and stone by the magnitude-6.4 earthquake.
The Associated Press
Shiites nominate candidate for ballot
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the head of a religious party who fought Saddam Hussein and took refuge in Iran for a decade, was chosen Tuesday as the dominant Shiite ticket's candidate for prime minister — making him the overwhelming favorite for the post.
Al-Jaafari's selection came after former Washington ally Ahmad Chalabi dropped out of the race following three days of round-the-clock bargaining. Al-Jaafari has been seen as having close ties to Iran's ruling clergy, though he denies any links to a government that President Bush has said is part of an "axis of evil."
But al-Jaafari must now build a ruling coalition and win agreement from the Kurds and others on candidates for Cabinet posts and the largely ceremonial presidency before seeking the support of a majority of the National Assembly elected Jan. 30.
The Associated Press
An impiçm impocha
Senir Jayhäja back team it waw it awn cut tüt cut side
Bus short 22-3 ly ass pesk defea samer rank Bayle ferem tive p