forms for visual impact appeals
to me, so is using them in a way
that has meaning relating to their
original intent. Thus, the idea of
an abstract representation of
ceremonial costumes arose, but
specifically they would be the
robes for the priesthood of the
electronic industry.
I researched images of
traditional costumes and ceremonial
garments to develop my
own personal amalgamation and
synthesis of sartorial elements
suggesting ethnicity without
them being specific to any one
culture or style. My concept was
a museum like presentation of
a number of life size robes and
smaller vestments, collar pieces
and breastplates, that would
represent our culture’s obsessive
fascination with technology and
disposable electronic products.
The tiny packages of
resistors at Radio Shack would
have been too expensive to
provide the amount of materials I
sought. Ultimately I found industry
surplus resistors and capacitors
for sale on Ebay at an acceptable
price and I acquired reels
and boxes of 1,000-5,000 units,
amassing a delightful palette of
colors, sizes and shapes. My
biggest hurdle was convincing
the seller to display color images
of the items, not just their electronic
specifications.
I am interested in the
contemporary social structures
emerging around us. While
many profess devotion to traditional
religion, I see true worship,
both in time and money, directed
toward the obsessive acquisition
and dependence on the
burgeoning availability of electronic
devices. The way people
spend their days increasingly
revolves around access to these
devices. The industry continues
to infiltrate our lives with new
products, and then upgrade the
technologies, further strengthening
our bondage to them. It is
this phenomenon that fascinates
me in its overwhelming social
pressure for us to be involved
Ceremonial Robe #8
Encaustic, electronic parts, paper.
53” x 48”
Ceremonial Robe #9
Encaustic, electronic parts, teabag
paper, coffee filters, chop sticks,
cotton swabs. 56” x 62”
Fall
Rodney Thompson
Portfolio
19
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