Artworks

Andy Diaz Hope and Jon Bernson, Beautification Machine, 2014. 

Andy Diaz Hope & Jon Bernson | Beautification Machine
July 26 – September 9, 2014
Saturday, July 26 : Opening reception with the artists 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Catharine Clark Gallery presents Beautification Machine, a new media collaboration by Andy Diaz Hope and Jon Bernson. This will be the first viewing of Diaz Hope’s work in the dedicated media room of our newly renovated gallery space. Like many of Diaz Hope’s previous projects, Beautification Machine is both an object and an experience, infused with mysticism and opacity. In the words of the Diaz Hope and Bernson, Beautification Machine is a device used to “neutralize the bile and fear spewed forth daily over the networks and transform polarizing media sources into vehicles of contemplation and peace.” The work combines functions of sculpture, projection, audio processing and random chance to manipulate real-time audio and video feeds from FOX, MSNBC (or any news source), and then strip them of all rhetoric and partisanship. Beautification Machine’s essence is antithetical— an oasis of calm created from the very thing that makes it difficult to find serenity in the modern world. The artists hope viewers will begin to break patterns of fear and paralysis instilled by the media and find ways to enact positive change. Beautification Machine is a playful attempt to counteract the voices of partisan pundits, “masquerading as news analysts,” who subvert civil dialogue. Diaz Hope and Bernson describe “the miracle” of the piece as the meditative environment naturally generated by the removal of divisive elements—fear replaced by empathy, mutual understanding and a sense of calm. Diaz Hope and Bernson profess they will closely guard the secret machinations of their work for fear that the mainstream media will “surely attempt to steal the device” for malevolent purposes. Though transparent as whimsical exaggerations, the artists’ statements bring a humorous brand of paranoia, magical thinking, and fierce contumacy to the overwhelming media presence in the modern world.

Andy Diaz Hope earned his Bachelors and Masters in Engineering from Stanford University’s Joint Program in Design—a collaboration between the engineering and art departments. Diaz Hope’s work found its voice while the artist was working as an engineer and designer for Apple and Microsoft. Diaz Hope’s disenchantment with contemporary notions of progress, and a realization that technology was failing to improve fundamental qualities of life spurred the creation of work which offers alternative viewpoints to that of mainstream media. Diaz Hope’s work expresses his desire to foster dialogue and critical thought. His most recent bodies of work have dealt with diverse topics including: the semantics of the word “terrorist” as a marginalizing force; recreational and pharmaceutical drug culture; and contemplations on the quest for immortality.

Diaz Hope has exhibited both nationally and internationally in venues such as the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY); Palo Alto Art Center (Palo Alto, CA); the International Museum of Surgical Science (Chicago, IL); Museum of Contemporary Art (Denver, CO); National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia); London Crafts Council (London, UK) and many others. His work is part of the public collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY); the International Contemporary Art Foundation (Louisville, KY); Palm Springs Art Museum (Palm Springs, CA); the Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, CA); and the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY). Andy Diaz Hope currently resides in San Francisco and has been exhibiting with Catharine Clark Gallery since 2005.
Jon Bernson is a San Francisco musician, writer, and multimedia artist who has released more than twenty albums under the following names: Ray’s Vast Basement, Window Twins, THEMAYS, and Exray’s (whose music was featured in David Fincher’s Academy-Award winning film, The Social Network). He has toured the U.S. numerous times and scored more than a dozen plays and films, including his recent soundtracks for Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. He is a columnist at Decoder Magazine, co-founder of the Howells Transmitter record label and resident sound designer at Tides Theatre. In addition to his sonic and written output, Bernson's penchant for genre blending has resulted in a growing body of site-specific and commissioned multimedia work. Whether he is releasing albums attached to helium balloons, curating ambient music parties, setting up prepared pianos on the beach, or writing interactive plays for Amtrak journeys, a desire to create new offline experiences is always at the forefront of his process.

Beautification Machine will exhibit concurrently with Cloverleaf, an exhibition of paintings by Timothy Cummings.