New Materials New Media New Art Introduction This show was inspired by a visit to the Biennial exhibit at a famous New York museum. (The name is withheld to protect the innocent.) At the show, the Techno-Impressionist artists saw the latest in cutting-edge art, embodying the use of high tech materials and technology such as urethane, epoxy, vinyl, carnauba, and video. Many of these pieces were "experimental art" that resembled brightly colored entrails, an industrial accident, or a picture from a venereal disease lecture. Further inspiration was derived from the artists who produced mega-events such as wrapping buildings and blowing up bridges. "Ha," the Techno-Impressionists said as one. "We can top that." Being Techno-Impressionists meant that not only could they create art, but that they could also master any leading edge technology and use it to produce art. What follows here will certainly raise the bar for the use of technology in art for many years to come. "Bad art inspires me. When I see great art, I feel humbled and unworthy. But when I see bad art, I say: Hey, even I can do better than that." > Henri de Toulouse-LaTech   Vitruvian Man for the new century by Vincent Van Gui In an image reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci, this work features a figure molded from Norplex high tensile strength engineering plastic set into a background cut from a solid piece of 440 alloy stainless steel. The cutting was done by a Wilkington-Smythe computer-controlled milling machine with a micro-fine tungsten carbide bit. After diamond polishing, the figure was fitted to the background using Danvers #220 Anaerobic Resin Adhesive. The artist describes the piece as representing Man's eternal struggles with the world that surrounds him, balanced by the way that man, in turn, shapes his surroundings.   Night falls on Albi by Henri de Toulouse-LaTech This exquisite photograph demonstrates what can be achieved when high technology is put into the hands of a true artist. Using a Wilkington-Smythe thermal gradient reflex-encoding imaging system, similar to the technology used in observation satellites, the artist, after a number of unsuccessful trials, produced this astonishing result. This is a scene from Albi, home of the artist. The evening sky is reflected in the river Tarn, and the Robinson Restaurant appears to the right. I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille by Pablo PigCasso The substrate for this work is an 8.25mm sheet of Duridium alloy with a chemically-etched matte-finished surface. Onto this surface the artist drew directly with a Wilkington-Smythe hydrogen-ion flame deposition torch. This required painstaking effort to produce the buildup of material that gives this piece its unique three-dimensional appearance. The work was then photographed with a Speed Graphic "Megapixel" digital camera and the image was transferred directly to the computer for processing. It's taking a lot of effort for me to remain ambivalent By Vincent Van Gui This is a piece of performance art. To create it, the artist was hooked to a Wilkington-Smythe "Backster" multi-axis forensic polygraph. Once the recording was started, the artist was asked questions about his art, the methods that he used, and whether he believed that the work that he produced was really art, or just a put-on. For part of the time, the artist meditated on the deeper meanings of his life, his work, and his money. Each trace of the polygraph display, with its unique color, shows a different aspect of the artist's physical response to this experiment. I try to make a good impression By Salvatore Deli A computer controlled multi-axis laser torch was used to make the dies for a Wilkington-Smythe explosive hydroforming press. A sheet of 2mm thick #7705 aluminum alloy was placed in the press and conformed to the die using a small quantity of C4 explosive. After cleaning, deburring, and polishing, the artist used anodized etching materials to add further detail to the piece. Illuminated by a Bowens carbon-arc "Softlite," the final photograph was made with a Canon RM-22 reflex camera with a "Wisner" electronic back. What was once a obsession is now a distraction By Willem de Cunning  This is an experiment in spirit art. As de Cunning aged, there was much discussion of his work. After he developed Alzheimer's, he continued to work, and there was debate about the quality of the work produced and how it measured up to his earlier works. This is de Cunning's first posthumous work. "After seeing this, I'm raising my rating on de Cunning from 'Hold' to 'Buy'." > Al Smith, Art Investment Monthly Pushing the envelope Staged by Joe "Razor blade" McGurk This may be the most ambitious work of performance art ever attempted. Working with NASA's "Blue Devils" Astrobatic Team, Joe McGurk ("No pain, no art") directed this performance that took place approximately 300 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The picture was taken with a Hasselblad model 2001 camera with a Wilkington-Smythe "Wisner" digital recording back. This is the first performance of the NASA Astrobatic Team, and we are proud to have participated in this important event. Tears for my president By Henri de Toulouse-LaTech This is our only political piece. It is dedicated by the artist to the memory all of the presidents who have been assassinated either by gun or by smear campaign. The work was cut from a sheet of platinum-iridium alloy using a computer-controlled laser torch. The pieces were then coated with a three angstrom layer of niobium in a Wilkington-Smythe vacuum deposition system. The work was illuminated with Bowens "Narrow Spectrum" light source and the color was further enhanced with a Roscoe-Lux ultra-dichroic filter. To create the effect of dimensionality, the individual elements were magnetically suspended 7mm above a bed of crushed titanium dioxide. Political note: On April 4, 1998, Vincent and Theo Van Gui visited the Kramer Books & Afterwords bookstore in Washington DC and sent President Clinton a book of illustrated poetry. They haven't gotten any subpeonas so far, but they did get a nice thank you note from the president. See the note. Jump (I think) By Vincent Van Gui The artist had prepared a complete description of the technology and methods used to create this work. Unfortunately, some of this material turned out to be classified and the artist has been detained by the FBI. There will be a full disclosure as soon as the artist is released. Note: Any inquiries to Mr. Van Gui (formerly known as "the artist") should be addressed to his attorneys, Wilkington, Pilkington, Smythe, and Ginsburg. The detail is in the devils By Rohe van der Mies This is an experiment in "Real Virtuality," in which a real object is made to appear virtual. The individual images were generated with a Wilkington-Smythe variable-size image generation system. They were then suspended over a rear-illuminated high-frequency moiré screen tuned to give a varying green background. The final image was realized using a Kensington-Deardorff camera with its "Near-Infinite" depth of field attachment. Cubism with rounded edges By Pablo PigCasso This experimental work uses a set of multi-cubic spline algorithms to smooth out the edges of cubist work. It was realized with the help of a Wilkington-Smythe multi-processor chromatically-linked computer with a "Virtual Time" operating system. To get the highest processing efficiency, the algorithms were written in the Babbage language. Lost (and found) in space By Salvatore Deli This image marks the first use of the Leonardo satellite, built by JPL in conjunction with TLC Systems Corporation and the Techno-Impressionist Museum. Leonardo is the first satellite designed especially for creating art. For the greatest precision, its guidance algorithms were written in the Babbage computer language. It also marks the first use of the Hubble Telescope for artistic purposes. Traveling beyond the reaches of the solar system, the satellite was painstakingly guided into its final position. At this point, a signal from Earth, triggered by the artist, caused the satellite to eject a cloud of ruby-tinted cesium isotopes in a precise pattern to form an abstract image. Using the Hubble Telescope, the cloud was photographed against the background of the Horsehead Nebula using a Wilkington-Smythe "Astrographic" digital recording system. Excedrin Headache #12 By Henri de Toulouse-LaTech This work began as a solid block of iridium-neodymium alloy. The image was first created in a computer graphics program and then transferred to the surface of the metal with a Wilkington-Smythe full-color photo etching machine. After this was completed, the artist used a high-speed, diamond-tipped engraver to create the relief around the image. Notes: This exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Ben Rose -- a real photographer, a real person, and a real friend. It's been twenty five years, Ben, and I still miss you. > Tony Karp, curator The curator wishes to thank the following organizations for their help in preparing this exhibit: Museum of Modern Art, NYC Whitney Museum of Astronomical Art, KSC Florida Wilkington-Smythe Ltd, Totten-on-Hants, GB Jet Propulsion Laboratories, satellite imaging department The NASA "Blue Devils" Astrobatic Team The Babbage Language Standards Group Sendai University, Exotic Metallurgy Department Musee de Artes et Metiers, Paris Our two contacts at the CIA who provided us with much useful information National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) Salisbury University (High-Energy Materials Department) The law firm of Wilkington, Pilkington, Smythe, and Ginsburg This exhibit is sponsored by a corporate grant from: American Business Excuses ("You name it, we blame it."). Visit the Techno-Impressionist Museum : . http://www.timuseum.com Last modified April 1, 2012