Cost of Opportunity
Three diamonds manufactured from Gunpowder, Road Kill, and Superman III will be exhibited and auctioned live to determine their value.
Dallas
Texas
United States of America
I will produce a live auction and auction catalogs for three diamonds manufactured from unlikely carbon sources, creating a self-sustaining series of work. These events and objects will generate a participatory dialogue on value: personal, cultural and economic. In six months I will complete the manufacture of three diamonds produced from the carbon in materials of little or no market value. I seek a Rhizome grant to produce: (1) a live art auction for these diamonds, and (2) a single-edition auction catalog for each diamond.
The Gunpowder Diamond is made from the carbon found in the gunpowder from .223 Caliber assault rifle ammunition. I have worked for over a year with organic chemist Dr. Justin Youngblood to remove the nitrates from this gunpowder to safely create a diamond. The Roadkill Diamond is made from a cremated armadillo found slain by auto on a road in Palestine, Texas. Nine-Banded Armadillos are native to Mexico, having crossed the Rio Grand only in the last 150 years, in part due to the absence of 'natural' predators. The Superman Diamond is made from the script of the film Superman III (1983), in which Superman battles Clark Kent and crushes a lump of coal into a diamond. As an enduring myth of US national identity, Superman continues to be heavily franchised, exported and recycled.
The girdle of each diamond will receive a laser-inscription, and each diamond will exhibit with a lens to allow this inscription to be read. Video documentation and ephemera from each diamond's production (empty shell casings, cremated remains, script pages) will be included in the preview exhibition. Three unique auction catalogs will also be produced as one-of-a-kind objects to accompany each diamond. The catalogs and video will assemble a loose narrative out of my documentation of the diamond creation process.
Auctioning the catalogs will in essence "auction the auction", addressing commodification and the way markets have influenced the nature and perception of contemporary art. Cost of Opportunity also engages critically with borders, immigration, national mythologies, conflict, personal responsibility, science, urbanization and the effects of technological advancement. Auction proceeds will support the production of a new array of diamonds made from another selection from a list of charged and seemingly 'valueless' carbon materials. The project will coninue to use the market as an art material for as long as the market will sustain it.
Recent press on the project: http://inhouse.unt.edu/diamond-forever
Note: The scope of this proposal does not include manufacturing cost of the diamonds. This has already been funded by Research Initiation Grants secured this year from the University of North Texas and Ohio State University.
The Gunpowder Diamond is made from the carbon found in the gunpowder from .223 Caliber assault rifle ammunition. I have worked for over a year with organic chemist Dr. Justin Youngblood to remove the nitrates from this gunpowder to safely create a diamond. The Roadkill Diamond is made from a cremated armadillo found slain by auto on a road in Palestine, Texas. Nine-Banded Armadillos are native to Mexico, having crossed the Rio Grand only in the last 150 years, in part due to the absence of 'natural' predators. The Superman Diamond is made from the script of the film Superman III (1983), in which Superman battles Clark Kent and crushes a lump of coal into a diamond. As an enduring myth of US national identity, Superman continues to be heavily franchised, exported and recycled.
The girdle of each diamond will receive a laser-inscription, and each diamond will exhibit with a lens to allow this inscription to be read. Video documentation and ephemera from each diamond's production (empty shell casings, cremated remains, script pages) will be included in the preview exhibition. Three unique auction catalogs will also be produced as one-of-a-kind objects to accompany each diamond. The catalogs and video will assemble a loose narrative out of my documentation of the diamond creation process.
Auctioning the catalogs will in essence "auction the auction", addressing commodification and the way markets have influenced the nature and perception of contemporary art. Cost of Opportunity also engages critically with borders, immigration, national mythologies, conflict, personal responsibility, science, urbanization and the effects of technological advancement. Auction proceeds will support the production of a new array of diamonds made from another selection from a list of charged and seemingly 'valueless' carbon materials. The project will coninue to use the market as an art material for as long as the market will sustain it.
Recent press on the project: http://inhouse.unt.edu/diamond-forever
Note: The scope of this proposal does not include manufacturing cost of the diamonds. This has already been funded by Research Initiation Grants secured this year from the University of North Texas and Ohio State University.
TIMELINE
April - October 2011: (1) Diamond Manufacture. All material has been sent to the diamond manufacturer. Diamond manufacturing, cutting and inscription process will take 6 months. During this time I will execute the following tasks:
May - June 2011: Proposal to Exhibition Venue: (1) Conduit Gallery in Dallas, TX has solicited a proposal for exhibiting the project in 2012.
May 2011 - January 2012: Arrange for Professional Auctoneer through contacts at Heritage Auction House, Dallas. Propose an auction at Heritage or another auction house. If this is not possible, bring a professional auctioneer to Conduit Gallery in Dallas.
May 2011 - January 2012: Create Auction Catalog: (1) Compile and organize documentation into a loose narrative. (2) Perform research with auction houses on format, design, organization & layout of catalog. (3) Work with graphic designer from Ohio State University and University of North Texas Depts. of Design to print an authentic catalog for each diamond. _____ As Money eBay series (see below) will constitute the artist's auction provenance section of the catalog.
July 2011 - March 2012: Prepare Video: (1) Edit video documentation into a loosely narrative structure. (2) Editing includes the 32 pages I pulled from the script of Superman III (1983) as raw materials for the Superman III Diamond. The specific scenes from this 32-page edit of the film will be edited into the video.
March - April 2012: (1) Prepare space for video projection, separated from diamond exhibition room. (2) Prepare presentation of diamonds: each diamond receives a dedicated light source in a dimmed room and is displayed alongside ephemera from its source material: actual bullet shells that originally contained the gunpowder; bone fragments from cremated armadillo; 32 pages from the script of Superman III for participants to read. Each diamond will also be displayed with a magnifying lens allowing participants to view laser inscriptions in the diamond's girdle. (3) Oversee security measures for the installation. (4) Plan Exhibition and Auction schedule.
May 2012: (1) Exhibition Installation. (2) Exhibition Opening. (2) Live Auction, to be documented by videographer.
BUDGET
($9000 Diamond Manufacture, covered by grant funding from University of North Texas & Ohio State University)
($2500 Exhibition Materials & Labor, Lighting and Video Projection provided by exhibition venue)
$2000 Designer Fees for (3) Catalogs
$1000 Auctioneer Fee (plus 10% commission)
$750 Printing Fees for (3) archival-print catalogs
$700 Research Expenses - Travel from Columbus OH to Dallas, TX
$500 Videographer Fees for Live Auction documentation
_______
($16,500 = GRAND TOTAL COST)
$5000 = TOTAL Rhizome Commission Request
April - October 2011: (1) Diamond Manufacture. All material has been sent to the diamond manufacturer. Diamond manufacturing, cutting and inscription process will take 6 months. During this time I will execute the following tasks:
May - June 2011: Proposal to Exhibition Venue: (1) Conduit Gallery in Dallas, TX has solicited a proposal for exhibiting the project in 2012.
May 2011 - January 2012: Arrange for Professional Auctoneer through contacts at Heritage Auction House, Dallas. Propose an auction at Heritage or another auction house. If this is not possible, bring a professional auctioneer to Conduit Gallery in Dallas.
May 2011 - January 2012: Create Auction Catalog: (1) Compile and organize documentation into a loose narrative. (2) Perform research with auction houses on format, design, organization & layout of catalog. (3) Work with graphic designer from Ohio State University and University of North Texas Depts. of Design to print an authentic catalog for each diamond. _____ As Money eBay series (see below) will constitute the artist's auction provenance section of the catalog.
July 2011 - March 2012: Prepare Video: (1) Edit video documentation into a loosely narrative structure. (2) Editing includes the 32 pages I pulled from the script of Superman III (1983) as raw materials for the Superman III Diamond. The specific scenes from this 32-page edit of the film will be edited into the video.
March - April 2012: (1) Prepare space for video projection, separated from diamond exhibition room. (2) Prepare presentation of diamonds: each diamond receives a dedicated light source in a dimmed room and is displayed alongside ephemera from its source material: actual bullet shells that originally contained the gunpowder; bone fragments from cremated armadillo; 32 pages from the script of Superman III for participants to read. Each diamond will also be displayed with a magnifying lens allowing participants to view laser inscriptions in the diamond's girdle. (3) Oversee security measures for the installation. (4) Plan Exhibition and Auction schedule.
May 2012: (1) Exhibition Installation. (2) Exhibition Opening. (2) Live Auction, to be documented by videographer.
BUDGET
($9000 Diamond Manufacture, covered by grant funding from University of North Texas & Ohio State University)
($2500 Exhibition Materials & Labor, Lighting and Video Projection provided by exhibition venue)
$2000 Designer Fees for (3) Catalogs
$1000 Auctioneer Fee (plus 10% commission)
$750 Printing Fees for (3) archival-print catalogs
$700 Research Expenses - Travel from Columbus OH to Dallas, TX
$500 Videographer Fees for Live Auction documentation
_______
($16,500 = GRAND TOTAL COST)
$5000 = TOTAL Rhizome Commission Request
Shane Mecklenburger - shane@shmeck.com - www.shmeck.com
EDUCATION
2009: MFA The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2001: MS University of Southern California, 1995: BA University of California, Santa Cruz
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2011:
Intersections, R&D Gallery, Chicago
Bienal Fronteriza de Arte, Centro Cultural Paso del Norte, Ciudad Jaurez, Mexico
Glitch, CentralTrak Gallery, UTDallas, Texas
2010:
Border Art Biennial, El Paso Museum of Art, Texas
Faculty Exhibition, Studio Arts Department, University of North Texas
Semi-Automatic, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas
pwn3d, Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), Texas
Liminality, Antena Gallery, Chicago
UltraXtra, Denton Visual Arts Center, Denton, Texas
2009:
Cedars Open Studios, American Beauty Mill, Dallas
MGFest 09, Motion Graphics Festival, Washington DC
The Niche, Fine Arts Library, University of Virginia
Faculty Exhibition, Studio Arts Department, University of North Texas
Sugar, Around The Coyote Festival, Chicago
re(load), Antena Gallery, Chicago
re:model, The Sullivan Gallery, SAIC, Chicago
King Ludd’s Midway Arcade, Material Exchange, Hyde Park
MGFest Finalist Showcase, Axiom Gallery, Cambridge
Defective: Debugging Media Myths, Nightengale Theater, Chicago
Mashitude, Motion Graphics Festival, Chicago
2008:
Department (Store), Sullivan Gallery, SAIC, Chicago
Atmospherics, Kasia Kay Art Projects, Chicago
Uninstalled, Art & Technology Studies Department, SAIC
2006:
Café Fini, Ford Amphitheater, Los Angeles
Curing Sanity, Department of Mental Technology, Black Rock City, Nevada
2005
Holiday of the Heart, Heart of Los Angeles Youth, Los Angeles
2004:
FARfetched, Foundation for Art Resources, Los Angeles, California
Snap to Grid, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Los Angeles
Faculty Exhibition, California College of Art, San Francisco, California
Pleasure Garden, Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2003:
CITYZOOMS, Up-And-Coming International Film Festival,
The Übersee-Museum, Bremen, Germany
The Impossible, with the Foundation for Art Resources,
Japanese-American National Museum, Los Angeles, California
SELECTED AWARDS & GRANTS
2011:
Creative Research Initiation Grant, The Ohio State University
Creative Research Initiation Grant, University of North Texas
Junior Faculty Creative Research Fellowship, University of North Texas
2009:
Winner, Motion Graphics Festival, Chicago
2008:
Albert Krehbiel Scholarship Award, SAIC
Community Leadership Award, Student Association, The School of the Art Institute
of Chicago
2007:
Artist—Educator Service Award
Child Care Resource Center, Los Angeles
2004:
Apple Seed Grant, Apple Computer, East Haddam, Connecticut
2001:
USC Dewitt Wallace Foundation Fellowship, USC Los Angeles
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2010:
STEIM Artist Residency, Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music (STEIM), Amsterdam
2004:
Ucross Foundation Artist Residency, Clearmont, Wyoming
Stonehouse Residency for the Contemporary Arts, Miramonte, California
I-Park Artist Colony Residency, East Haddam, Connecticut
INVITED LECTURES & TALKS
2011:
Artist Talk: Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University Department of Art
Gallery Talk: Gltich Aesthetics, CentralTrak, UTDallas Artist Residency Gallery
2010:
Gallery Talk: Friendly Fire, Border Art Biennial, El Paso Museum of Art
Artist Talk: Databending, University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Painting
Artist Talk: Semi-Automatic, West Gallery, Texas Woman’s University
Artist Talk: pwn3d Research, Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music, Amsterdam
Panel: Under Fire: Media Art Pedagogy, College Art Association, Chicago
Gallery Lecture: Media Art Histories, Texas Woman’s University Grad Photo Dept
Gallery Lecture: Toys & Their Boys, Texas Woman’s University Grad Photo Dept
2009:
Artist Talk: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Film, Video, New Media Dept
COLLECTIONS & COMMISSIONS
2004:
Ucross Foundation, Clearmont, Wyoming
I-Park Artist Colony, East Haddam, Connecticut
2006:
NE/LA, Collection of Kristen Paglia and Jaime Paglia, Los Angeles, CA
PUBLICATIONS
2011:
(forthcoming) Collaborating with the Enemy, LEA’s Rekindled Edition. MIT Press
/Leonardo/ISAST. Leonardo Electronic Almanac is the peer-reviewed electronic arm
of Leonardo, pioneer art journal of the International Society of the Arts, Sciences
and Technology (ISAST). (ISSN: 1071-4391)
(forthcoming) PWN3D: Independent Artists and Digital 3D Pedagogy, Media-N
Media-N journalis the journal of CAA’s New Media Caucus. (ISSN: 1942-017X)
Glitch, Exhibition Essay, CentralTrak UTDallas Artist Residency Gallery.
BIO
Shane Mecklenburger works between media, installation and performance. Past projects
have weaponized paint, turned love into money, and made music with shooter games. His
critical examinations of value, materiality, transaction and fallibility have exhibited
internationally in museums and galleries including the Centro Cultural Paso Del Norte,
Juarez Mexico; the Ubersee Musuem, Bremen Germany; the El Paso Museum of Art; Texas
Woman’s University; The Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music in Amsterdam; and the
Dallas Museum of Art. He received an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
and is currently Assistant Professor of New Media Art at the University of North Texas
Department of Studio Art and Assistant Professor of Art & Technology at The Ohio State
University Department of Art.
Shane Mecklenburger - shane@shmeck.com - www.shmeck.com
EDUCATION
2009: MFA The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2001: MS University of Southern California, 1995: BA University of California, Santa Cruz
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2011:
Intersections, R&D Gallery, Chicago
Bienal Fronteriza de Arte, Centro Cultural Paso del Norte, Ciudad Jaurez, Mexico
Glitch, CentralTrak Gallery, UTDallas, Texas
2010:
Border Art Biennial, El Paso Museum of Art, Texas
Faculty Exhibition, Studio Arts Department, University of North Texas
Semi-Automatic, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas
pwn3d, Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), Texas
Liminality, Antena Gallery, Chicago
UltraXtra, Denton Visual Arts Center, Denton, Texas
2009:
Cedars Open Studios, American Beauty Mill, Dallas
MGFest 09, Motion Graphics Festival, Washington DC
The Niche, Fine Arts Library, University of Virginia
Faculty Exhibition, Studio Arts Department, University of North Texas
Sugar, Around The Coyote Festival, Chicago
re(load), Antena Gallery, Chicago
re:model, The Sullivan Gallery, SAIC, Chicago
King Ludd’s Midway Arcade, Material Exchange, Hyde Park
MGFest Finalist Showcase, Axiom Gallery, Cambridge
Defective: Debugging Media Myths, Nightengale Theater, Chicago
Mashitude, Motion Graphics Festival, Chicago
2008:
Department (Store), Sullivan Gallery, SAIC, Chicago
Atmospherics, Kasia Kay Art Projects, Chicago
Uninstalled, Art & Technology Studies Department, SAIC
2006:
Café Fini, Ford Amphitheater, Los Angeles
Curing Sanity, Department of Mental Technology, Black Rock City, Nevada
2005
Holiday of the Heart, Heart of Los Angeles Youth, Los Angeles
2004:
FARfetched, Foundation for Art Resources, Los Angeles, California
Snap to Grid, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Los Angeles
Faculty Exhibition, California College of Art, San Francisco, California
Pleasure Garden, Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2003:
CITYZOOMS, Up-And-Coming International Film Festival,
The Übersee-Museum, Bremen, Germany
The Impossible, with the Foundation for Art Resources,
Japanese-American National Museum, Los Angeles, California
SELECTED AWARDS & GRANTS
2011:
Creative Research Initiation Grant, The Ohio State University
Creative Research Initiation Grant, University of North Texas
Junior Faculty Creative Research Fellowship, University of North Texas
2009:
Winner, Motion Graphics Festival, Chicago
2008:
Albert Krehbiel Scholarship Award, SAIC
Community Leadership Award, Student Association, The School of the Art Institute
of Chicago
2007:
Artist—Educator Service Award
Child Care Resource Center, Los Angeles
2004:
Apple Seed Grant, Apple Computer, East Haddam, Connecticut
2001:
USC Dewitt Wallace Foundation Fellowship, USC Los Angeles
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2010:
STEIM Artist Residency, Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music (STEIM), Amsterdam
2004:
Ucross Foundation Artist Residency, Clearmont, Wyoming
Stonehouse Residency for the Contemporary Arts, Miramonte, California
I-Park Artist Colony Residency, East Haddam, Connecticut
INVITED LECTURES & TALKS
2011:
Artist Talk: Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University Department of Art
Gallery Talk: Gltich Aesthetics, CentralTrak, UTDallas Artist Residency Gallery
2010:
Gallery Talk: Friendly Fire, Border Art Biennial, El Paso Museum of Art
Artist Talk: Databending, University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Painting
Artist Talk: Semi-Automatic, West Gallery, Texas Woman’s University
Artist Talk: pwn3d Research, Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music, Amsterdam
Panel: Under Fire: Media Art Pedagogy, College Art Association, Chicago
Gallery Lecture: Media Art Histories, Texas Woman’s University Grad Photo Dept
Gallery Lecture: Toys & Their Boys, Texas Woman’s University Grad Photo Dept
2009:
Artist Talk: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Film, Video, New Media Dept
COLLECTIONS & COMMISSIONS
2004:
Ucross Foundation, Clearmont, Wyoming
I-Park Artist Colony, East Haddam, Connecticut
2006:
NE/LA, Collection of Kristen Paglia and Jaime Paglia, Los Angeles, CA
PUBLICATIONS
2011:
(forthcoming) Collaborating with the Enemy, LEA’s Rekindled Edition. MIT Press
/Leonardo/ISAST. Leonardo Electronic Almanac is the peer-reviewed electronic arm
of Leonardo, pioneer art journal of the International Society of the Arts, Sciences
and Technology (ISAST). (ISSN: 1071-4391)
(forthcoming) PWN3D: Independent Artists and Digital 3D Pedagogy, Media-N
Media-N journalis the journal of CAA’s New Media Caucus. (ISSN: 1942-017X)
Glitch, Exhibition Essay, CentralTrak UTDallas Artist Residency Gallery.
BIO
Shane Mecklenburger works between media, installation and performance. Past projects
have weaponized paint, turned love into money, and made music with shooter games. His
critical examinations of value, materiality, transaction and fallibility have exhibited
internationally in museums and galleries including the Centro Cultural Paso Del Norte,
Juarez Mexico; the Ubersee Musuem, Bremen Germany; the El Paso Museum of Art; Texas
Woman’s University; The Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music in Amsterdam; and the
Dallas Museum of Art. He received an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
and is currently Assistant Professor of New Media Art at the University of North Texas
Department of Studio Art and Assistant Professor of Art & Technology at The Ohio State
University Department of Art.
Shane Mecklenburger - shane@shmeck.com - www.shmeck.com
Since 2008 I've been interested in work that uses the market as a material, inverting the standard power relation in which a market uses art for its own purposes. In February 2008 I sold the Future on eBay for $23.50 including shipping. I called it Time As Money, 2008.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=121
This was directly inspired by and in homage to Kieth Obadike's eBay work Blackness for Sale, 2001. Uncertainty about how I would make my way as an artist compelled me to divest any concerns beyond the present. With events in my life as the starting point, I produced a series of eBay auctions entitled _____As Money. Apart from the autobiographical content, the series examines how ideas are packaged, commodified and sold back to us every day. _____As Money is an interactive performance in which participants collectively determine the market value of ideas. Doubts regarding a long-distance relationship produced Love As Money, 2008. When I sold my first home at a loss in 2008 I sold Wealth As Money, 2008.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=123
Unaware of the impending market crisis, I sold Wealth in October of 2008. There was only one bidder. In the end, he backed out of the deal and refused to pay. In 2009 Culture received no bids. Education As Money 2009 fetched the highest price so far at $115. When I saw that my work was heading in a new direction in 2010 Identity As Money sold for $15.48 to another artist. I sold The United States of America after a three month residency in Amsterdam.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=141
The USA was won by European-born, US immigrant media artist Jenny Vogel.
During medical challenges in 2011 I sold Health for $11.00.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=140
A friend who struggled for years with cancer requested a "Buy It Now" price for Health As Money. He wasn't sure he'd survive the duration of the auction. He expired shortly after the auction closed. Since the project calls for the item's value to be determined collectively by participants, I had to refuse Greg's request for a "Buy It Now" price. This was the hardest thing I've ever done as an artist.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=121
This was directly inspired by and in homage to Kieth Obadike's eBay work Blackness for Sale, 2001. Uncertainty about how I would make my way as an artist compelled me to divest any concerns beyond the present. With events in my life as the starting point, I produced a series of eBay auctions entitled _____As Money. Apart from the autobiographical content, the series examines how ideas are packaged, commodified and sold back to us every day. _____As Money is an interactive performance in which participants collectively determine the market value of ideas. Doubts regarding a long-distance relationship produced Love As Money, 2008. When I sold my first home at a loss in 2008 I sold Wealth As Money, 2008.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=123
Unaware of the impending market crisis, I sold Wealth in October of 2008. There was only one bidder. In the end, he backed out of the deal and refused to pay. In 2009 Culture received no bids. Education As Money 2009 fetched the highest price so far at $115. When I saw that my work was heading in a new direction in 2010 Identity As Money sold for $15.48 to another artist. I sold The United States of America after a three month residency in Amsterdam.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=141
The USA was won by European-born, US immigrant media artist Jenny Vogel.
During medical challenges in 2011 I sold Health for $11.00.
http://www.shmeck.com/artwork/detail.php?artworkid=140
A friend who struggled for years with cancer requested a "Buy It Now" price for Health As Money. He wasn't sure he'd survive the duration of the auction. He expired shortly after the auction closed. Since the project calls for the item's value to be determined collectively by participants, I had to refuse Greg's request for a "Buy It Now" price. This was the hardest thing I've ever done as an artist.
