why

So far I have 32 floppy disks, 27 of which are still to be fired. 1390.22 remaining.


There is something really inviting about the monotony of producing these objects by hand, especially as I have a target in view [1422.22]. It matters little that I have a deadline looming, one that makes reaching that target entirely impossible. The element of endurance and nebulous repetition seems to be propelling me to continue. It is for me reminiscent of a piece of work I saw at the Saatchi Gallery in 2010: Wall by Rupert Norfolk, similarly involves a serious investment of time into what appears to be an obscure undertaking.

Wall (2006)

125 carved limestone rocks

The limestone rocks were hand carved by Norfolk in order that they become symmetrical objects, with one half of each of the 125 rocks chiselled so as to mirror the natural hollows and protrusions of the opposite side.

It has become quite a feature of my work of late to invest heavily in process and time, which in itself draws from the very nature of obsolescence and its origins in the need for improved efficiency and performance from our tools.

The hard drive that recently failed (it's happened more than once!) resulted in me losing data, time, money, patience, sanity (almost), and this has become pertinent to my casts. To an extent what I am doing by systematically creating casts of floppy disks is mirroring this loss, and giving it a material presence.