Ben Van Sickle

City by the Lake

Ben — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:19:04 +0000

Photos from an outing with a friend.

Tube Amp

Ben — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:21:19 +0000

Experiments with painting with light.

Human User Fusion

Ben — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:34:03 +0000

This photograph is a composite of three individuals, making a portrait of a person who never existed.

Alternate History

Ben — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:29:58 +0000

A photo from an alternate history where the US won the race to Berlin.

New Pinhole

Ben — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:54:59 +0000

Here’s the latest addition to my camera collection. Its inventor (not me) dubbed it the “dranoflex.” The original instructions can be found here.

All told, the camera probably costs around $15 or so with most of the cost being in the pipe fittings. I may venture out today and try to get the area immediately around my apartment documented (no boots plus huge snow storm= not good times) as I have quite a bit of expired 4×5 to play with. Rest assured, pictures and a description of how I built it coming very soon!

Purposeless Play

Ben — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:35:36 +0000

These pieces are a continuation of the idea of “purposeless play” that started in my random compositions.

4×5 contact prints, gelatin silver prints on fiber paper.

Assault on Reason

Ben — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:26:31 +0000

Printed on 16×20 gelatin silver fiber paper.

Artist Statement

The American composer John Cage once described music as “a purposeless play” which is “an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we’re living”. This is the essence of my art; a reflection
of the chaos that is intrinsic to existence. Instead of rebelling against the nature of the world I choose to embrace it.
In creating this body of work I employ the surrealist method of automatism. Automatism, most often expressed through automatic writing or drawing, involves producing work that is free of conscious intervention. In order to adapt automatism to photography I first collect objects that have a perceived history. From there I quickly choose an object and work in a reflexive manor. The titles themselves are made up words in order to keep the work ambiguous. Through this “purposeless play” I have found
meaning and something very real to me; as John Cage would put it “an affirmation of life.”

Assault on Reason- Gallery

Ben — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Senor exhibition in the Student Gallery of the Richmond Center for the Visual Arts.

Random Objects/Compositions

Ben — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:02:23 +0000

An early experiment in random photographs. I first collected objects and placed them in a list, then I generated random numbers to determine how many objects would be in frame and their placement. I also experimented with painting with light as well as placing rice paper sandwiched in the enlarger.

Printed on 8×10 gelatin silver fiber paper.

Machines and Portraits

Ben — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:50:43 +0000

Printed on 11×14 gelatin silver fiber paper.