I am requesting funding and the opportunity to exhibit and create a large public sculpture and performance based on a previous body of work that I produced while a graduate student at The Ohio State University. The subjects explored in this new work range from investigations of relationships between art and non-art practices, to details articulating metaphoric expressions of loss and gain of energy, atomic particle behavior, and performance as spectacle. This new proposed work is a direct continuation the aforementioned work, which subjects traditional sculptural practices to the rigors of profane cultural systems that, under normal circumstances, would be in conflict with fine arts ideals. This is achieved by creating an autonomous sculpture, which then becomes a stage or participant in a performance. The subject that is performed denatures the sculpture and assigns it a new and enriched set of properties. The performance, and the sculpture where the performance occurs, share equal portions of the artistic value of the work as a whole.

Previously I attempted to practically meet these conceptual goals by creating a large indoor earthwork sculpture that later became a track for racing electric model cars in front of an art audience. The work was at once an art object and a racetrack, with neither one devaluing the other. This work, entitled Flash Crash, took its name from a phenomenon of particle physics in which an electron emits energy and then descends toward a center marked by the magnetic forces found in the proton. It is a complicated relationship if magnetic forces that defies logic, but from a simple perspective expresses the active life of the work. The racetrack becomes gravitational force and the model car becomes an electron flashing off electrical energy in the form of motion, in the form of a race. The cars are covered in gold leaf to allude to art historical gilded frames, Rutherford's diffraction experiments, or the gold ions used in the RHIC particle accelerator.

In order to further these ideas, I propose the construction of a large and completely portable sculpture that can travel much like a carnival ride, allowing the work to fully exploit its public art potential. The sculpture will be executed in welded and machined steel, taking the form of a tall cone shaped dish. The track surface will be constructed from curved panels of fine screen expanded steel sheet framed with square tubing and sprayed with a rubberized pavement sealer to insure adequate traction. Each panel will be 12 feet. in height, and will bolt together to form the transparent track, which will be buttressed by steel struts where each segment is joined. The entire object will be supported 18 inches above the ground by four steel struts anchored to concrete pylons in addition to the four previously mentioned struts that will descend from the center mass of the object. Spectators will be encouraged to walk under the structure to experience the race from underneath the angled road surface. During the performance, refreshments will be sold by a contracted vendor, and race related merchandise will be distributed.

Public presentation and interaction is a crucial component of this project. Promotional materials such street posters and fliers will be published in numerous neighborhoods in the Cincinnati area, in order to encourage a diverse audience that might be drawn to this work over other art exhibitions because of its entertainment and social qualities and public participation options. Although the sculpture and initial conditions of the performance are predetermined, portions of the performance will proceed according to the participation of the audience. I intend to begin the performance with announcements of race times, followed by a singular race in which will be performed by myself and my chief collaborator, Ian Williams. We will ascend commercial scaffolding and operate a pair of cars in the track for the duration of their onboard battery charge. The audience will be invited to watch, cheer, and enjoy refreshments as in any sports event. After the first portion of the performance is completed the audience will be encouraged to participate by actually racing available electric cars, or models that they have brought to the site. Spectators will not be allowed on the scaffolding unless they are performing a race of their own on the track. The performance itself will become the public interaction with the sculpture, much like Simparch's Free Basin indoor skateboard ramp. All of the management systems present at typical competitive tracks will be present, sign ups to prevent radio interference, spectator seating, concessions, memorabilia, a pit area, and the tall scaffold used as a diver's stand. The public will be given free use of the sculpture for an extended period. The ground floor space at the Weston Art Gallery will provide a large and highly visible site for the work.