* STARCH REALITY *
> michael pinto >
An Interactive Portrait of George W. Bush and His Environmental Policies Bushes, Flours & Molds in Wood Frame (2004) Existence in defiance of nature is a continually evolving cultural norm. We consume acres of desert for new housing, we divert water hundreds of miles to quench the thirst of our cities, we use mass amounts of resources to cool buildings in hot climates, and we eat genetically modified potatoes that are grown with an embedded pesticide.
The myth of the current Bush administration's environmental policies is that we can control the ramifications of the decisions that are made. There is no recognition of the global ecology, where all life exists in a complex network of interdependency.
The role of designers, architects, planners etc, is to interface with this same uncertainty at a larger scale. Typically, strategies of design are also strategies of control. This exhibit has emerged from an interest in the inventiveness and unpredictability of the society and environment in which I work. As a designer, I work with the recognition that a creative public will use space differently than I might anticipate. I can, however, catalyze a system within a set of made and found conditions. This exhibit deploys an indeterminate system that is not controlled. The more thorough our control of nature, the sooner natural processes will overthrow it."This administration, in catering to industries that put America's health and natural heritage at risk, threatens to do more damage to our environmental protections than any other in U.S. history." Natural Resources Defense CouncilIn front of you is an image based on a portrait of President George W. Bush. Each 'pixel' is a block of a colored starch. The portrait is constructed from a seemingly homogeneous matrix of solid object 'pixels.' The pixels are cast from varying types of flours and starches.
The deployment of the types of starches divides the portrait into 12 distinct areas. Each area of the portrait is linked to a distinct environmental policy of the Bush presidency. The visitor is invited to vote for the most disturbing environmental policy by taking a starch pixel with you.
Over the course of the exhibit the starch portrait will begin to mold. The different starches will produce different molds. At first the mold will develop molds of different colors and textures in the distinct areas of the portrait. Over time, the original patterns will likely become corrupted as molds come into contact with each other. It is likely that unplanned patterns will emerge as the molds "fight" for dominance in this ecosystem. If you take a starch pixel home with you, you will be able to follow the progress of the mold fighting for your chosen issue. It is possible that one mold type will eventually establish complete domination. This is an experiment in control. This is a deployment of an idea about perception and reality and the distinction between the two. A time lapse animation of mold progress will be posted on www.intercision.com
> bio >
In May 2000, Michael Pinto became a partner in the role of Design Principal at Osborn, a multi-disciplinary design firm. Prior, Michael spent time with RoTo Architects and Intercision, his own small practice. His interests lie in the process of engaging community and notions of authorship. He is a founding member of CityWorksLA and a Board Member of the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design. Michael has taught in the Environmental Design Program at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and has been coordinating efforts of Outreach and Community Programs at SCI-Arc. His own work has been published in Thresholds, Journal of the MIT School of Architecture, Art Journal of the University of Chicago, and Loud Paper. Michael holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Penn State University and a Master of Architecture from SCI-Arc.
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