Solid State Dump is a static yet chaotic three-D collage interwoven with subtle variations on patterns and repeated shapes and motifs. The variations of dark green are patterned with black rectangles and punctuated with blobs of bright colors. Silver and gold metallic patterns cover everything, occasionally providing larger linear elements as well.
It is composed of approx. one hundred different computer circuit boards, many of them prototypes which were built in the room in which it is installed, or a predecessor.
The waste generated in the evolution of computers is phenomenal. Functional, yet obsolete due to technological advance, most circuit boards are consigned to the trash along with their cabinets and larger components. This installation was inspired by the boards saved in the Garden hardware office either for sentimental reasons (prototypes built there by students) or for teaching use (soldering, board design and fabrication techniques.)
A previous attempt at composition, done by several occupants of the office over the previous years, was sparser in nature. This was undoubtedly driven by the difficulty of working with the canvas (thumbtack on plasterboard.)
The canvas, or mounting surface chosen was 1/2" hardware cloth (galvanized). This was stapled to 1x2s, which had been screwed together into a frame. The canvas was anchored to the wall (five places) and is resting on a building structure. The circuit boards are attached to the hardware cloth using copper S-hooks, fabricated from 14 ga. wire.
