My very first exhibition was part of a
group show at The Swope Gallery in Santa
Monica CA in 1983 just months after I made
my first piece of art. As excited as I was, I
remember standing outside looking in at the
crowd thinking that something was missing.
For sure, it was a very sedate affair compared to
the parties I was throwing. But it also hit me
that there was no music - I don't mean music
wasn't playing at the opening but, rather
music and movement were missing from the
art itself. At the moment I realized that I
had to combine my music with my art and
my motorized pieces were born. "Neutron Dance"
had just been a hit by The Pointer Sisters and
the video they made was specific to Beverly
Hills Cop, the soundtrack LP it was also on. I
wanted to do my own interpretation of the song
- what it meant to me as I wrote it - especially
as it was massive contributing factor in me
being singled out with Prince as one of the
most dangerous subversives in Rock N' Roll
by the Russian newspaper, Pravda. I found a
mechanic/carpenter to design the mechanics and
although the piece, as the rest of the motorized
pieces he built, broke frequently it managed to
run almost until the end of the Birthday Bomb
party I threw to unveil it. I made a total of
three "Neutron Dance" motorized pieces the
second of which hung in LA Eyeworks from
December 1984 to April 1985 as the premiere piece
in my first solo art exhibition, "Wear The Right
Clothes Even At Home". One day I was walking
down Melrose past Eyeworks and saw Andy
Warhol staring at the piece as it was running.
He didn't move for at least five minutes and I
finally went in. He told me I was "a genius"
and even though he gave me his number I was
too shy to call. I'm kicking myself to this day.
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
back
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
“Neutron Dance”
1984
Motorized with music
5’ x 8’ x 10”
Mixed media, found objects, foamcore, wood and plexiglass
