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Kurt Geissel's fascination: genes and machines
by Cynthia Rose
Seattle Times staff reporter
Kinetic sculptor Kurt Geissel grew up in Zaire (now Congo), where he
was surrounded by exotic pets. "We had lots of monkeys, chimpanzees,
baboons and so on. All of them were fascinated by technology. They even
liked our little kiddie books with pictures of bugs; my monkeys tried to
pick the bugs up off the page."
| VISUAL ARTS REVIEW Three works by Kurt Geissel, part of "Strange Apothecary," 2313 Fourth Ave., Seattle; Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; 206-441-3050. |
These days, Geissel's only pet is a cat. Felines, he notes, are a lot harder to fool than primates. "You can't make a machine they won't rapidly figure out. Even if the motion looks random, something tells them, 'it's predictable.' "
He just proved his thesis with two new sculptures, currently on display at the Two Bells Tavern. One (called "The Never Ending Pursuit of Happiness") employs a funky, clunky, coin-operated machine - which can launch the faintest trace of a haunting pop song. The other engineers a surprise via wires and glass. That one is called "It Didn't Scare My Cat."
Geissel specializes in pieces that perform. But, this time, he has "signed" his moving works, replacing the typical artist statement with a simple, static piece. This literal work is merely titled "Self-Portrait."
It centers on Geissel's own DNA, extracted from his blood by a friend, Jennifer Fangman. Fangman, who is a wildlife geneticist, says, "I did a genomic DNA extraction, then I used two different restriction enzymes. This produced the banding pattern seen in the gel."
What does this prove? That, yes, Geissel is a male.
The wooden frame around the gel includes a symbolic test tube of Geissel's blood. For a guy who likes to think in three dimensions, the whole piece is a nicer touch than the usual artist statement.
Copyright
© 2000 The Seattle Times Company
Copyright © 2000 The Seattle Times Company
