Canoe (Solar Power Version) - This was the first use of an early version of the MMMSE in Dawson City, Yukon. A 25 foot long trough of water, resembling a boat, provides a means for a gunwales tracking mechanism to slowly, endlessly paddle to and fro. Canoe was first constructed in 2001 in a studio beside Halifax harbour. It draws visual inspiration from the bridges and water vessels of this port. Conceptually, it grew from an interest in technological obsolescence: how things (like canoes) make shifts from utility to leisure. In the original indoor version Canoe runs on rechargeable batteries, with a continuous, smooth motion. In Dawson, it was placed outdoors, alongside the Yukon river, showing up in an absurd way the paleness of its artificial river. The source of power was sunlight, feeding an MMMSE. Motion was intermittent, dependent on the intensity of sunlight. It ranged from near standstill in overcast conditions to perhaps 1 or 2 strokes every minute in full light. Canoe is a rigid, rules-based system of repetitive mechanics, preset circuitry and angular construction. I wanted to place this type of system somewhere where it would be effected and affected by factors that are not predictable: elements, sunlight, the responses of passerby etc. Dawson was the ideal place for this experiment. |
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