Robin Mandel and Gideon Webster
Inflatable Respiring Cloudscape
Model trains distance the viewer from the power, sound, and vibrations of a real train. Robin Mandel and Gideon Webster have restored some of those sensations in Inflatable Respiring Cloudscape. The passing of the model train triggers a switch that turns on blowers which inflate the clouds. The rush of air one feels as a real train hurtles by is replaced by the breath of open vents pointed at the viewer. The blowers echo the sound of a real train. The arrival of the model train causes a transformation of materials, but the materials also transform the train from a chugging earthbound machine into an airborne flying cloud buster.
An artist and designer, Gideon Webster works in many media from traditional printmaking to interactive media installations. He aims to awaken long forgotten reveries in his viewers. Sculptor Robin Mandel usually works with common materials such as two by fours, ironing boards, and cardboard boxes, sometimes combined with found objects. He often incorporates electrical components, movement, and humor into his art. Webster and Mandel met as students at the Rhode Island School of Design where they respectively studied Digital Media and Sculpture. They found that they were both searching for a balance between their two disciplines and elected to share a studio after graduation. This is their first collaboration.
Image: Robin Mandel and Gideon Webster, Inflatable Respiring Cloudscape, (detail), 2007, Lent by the Artist