Tuesday, July 8, 2014

My Brother Teaches Me


I went to visit my brother, Sean McKinney, in New Jersey from June 11-15. He lives out in the country in Columbia, and has a great shop that he opened to me, working with me to construct two pieces (which I will post about next, now that they're finished) and teaching me a great deal about working with wood and power tools. How lucky I am to have such a kind and accomplished brother!


He has a great shop (the table and miter saws are in another room) and he is very knowledgeable about wood and metalworking. While I was there we also went to visit his friend Robert Cooke, a wonderful artist with whom Sean has collaborated to make several sound sculptures out of aluminum cookware that are on display at Lane's End Farm, whose owner Daniel Mattrocce is a famous cook. Here's the kitchen at Lane's End:


The grounds there are amazing, with sculptures by Harry Gordon (one of which you can see at the far left in the following photograph) and Wendy Wilkinson, as well as Robert Cooke's work. The first image below shows a piece that suggests a cookstove, made with soapstone and the aluminum cookware.


These sound sculptures are sometimes played in performance by gamelon practitioners from New York City. Here Sean is demonstrating on a second piece that references a table: