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Flatfile » Erik Peterson »

Location: Chicago, IL

Website: www.isitatoy.com

Erik Peterson

: Inner State Replicating the "natural" forms of the city, Inner State physically reproduces highway signs that span the Eisenhower Expressway west of downtown Chicago. Inner State uses the City of Chicago as its raw material, placing the viewer in a simultaneously marginalized and magnified position in relation to the urban architecture. The hand-made 100 foot-long support structure made of silver-painted cardboard mailing tubes and the 25 foot-long hand-painted vinyl signs represent a massive example DIY urbanism.

: Inner State Replicating the "natural" forms of the city, Inner State physically reproduces highway signs that span the Eisenhower Expressway west of downtown Chicago. Inner State uses the City of Chicago as its raw material, placing the viewer in a simultaneously marginalized and magnified position in relation to the urban architecture. The hand-made 100 foot-long support structure made of silver-painted cardboard mailing tubes and the 25 foot-long hand-painted vinyl signs represent a massive example DIY urbanism.

: Inner State Replicating the "natural" forms of the city, Inner State physically reproduces highway signs that span the Eisenhower Expressway west of downtown Chicago. Inner State uses the City of Chicago as its raw material, placing the viewer in a simultaneously marginalized and magnified position in relation to the urban architecture. The hand-made 100 foot-long support structure made of silver-painted cardboard mailing tubes and the 25 foot-long hand-painted vinyl signs represent a massive example DIY urbanism.

: Archeological Jig (Mammuthus Eiugenius) Archeological Jig presents the partially-uncovered wooden skeleton of a mythical species of mammoth that was unearthed intact on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in the summer of 2009. Inquisitive archeologists and paleontologists will note that the skeleton seems to reference the form of a child's puzzle, but nonetheless retains the scale of a fully-sized Pleistocene beast.

: Archeological Jig (Mammuthus Eiugenius) Archeological Jig presents the partially-uncovered wooden skeleton of a mythical species of mammoth that was unearthed intact on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in the summer of 2009. Inquisitive archeologists and paleontologists will note that the skeleton seems to reference the form of a child's puzzle, but nonetheless retains the scale of a fully-sized Pleistocene beast.

: Snow Machines The Snow Machines project is a sculptural intervention that borrows from the typology of municipal forms (signposts, signpost anchors, and parking meters) and recodes it in order to construct a play-space in the public arena of the city. Three Snow Machines were installed for two weeks in the winter of 2009 throughout the city of Chicago – one green, one yellow, one red – each bearing a sticker describing how to properly use the machine.

: Snow Machines The Snow Machines project is a sculptural intervention that borrows from the typology of municipal forms (signposts, signpost anchors, and parking meters) and recodes it in order to construct a play-space in the public arena of the city. Three Snow Machines were installed for two weeks in the winter of 2009 throughout the city of Chicago – one green, one yellow, one red – each bearing a sticker describing how to properly use the machine.

: Creamcycle This performative sculpture is 37 connected popsicles cast in frozen cream and juice. The creamsicle ring calls out to be consumed both figuratively (as art) and literally (as food) by its spectator. Its sweet odor, creamy pinkness, fleshy corporeality, and precise formality make the piece incredibly and edibly seductive.

: Creamcycle This performative sculpture is 37 connected popsicles cast in frozen cream and juice. The creamsicle ring calls out to be consumed both figuratively (as art) and literally (as food) by its spectator. Its sweet odor, creamy pinkness, fleshy corporeality, and precise formality make the piece incredibly and edibly seductive.

: Animal Crackers and Poacher These unsuspecting animal crackers find themselves facing a far greater danger than being eating by a child, as they are now threatened by a gun-toting human animal, one that is fed by political, economic, and environmental pressures. A darkly humorous piece, the poacher is hand-carved from a quarter-turned "cow" cookie.

: StrollerVision A mock-prototype of a mall stroller that allows parents to monitor their children via direct-feed surveillance video footage, StrollerVision imagines a society (not far from our own) where actual interaction with our children is no longer safe enough.

: Face Value Face Value is a fluorescent lightbox sign resting atop a lamppost on the U-City Loop that advertises neither products nor politicians, but randomly selected people from the local community. Only their faces show on the sign; no words are included, no product sold, no self-evident message is presented; the power they gain is purely visual. The sign reveals the importance of people. Any and everyone are worthy enough to accent the electric city and be anonymous king or queen for a day.

: Face Value Face Value is a fluorescent lightbox sign resting atop a lamppost on the U-City Loop that advertises neither products nor politicians, but randomly selected people from the local community. Only their faces show on the sign; no words are included, no product sold, no self-evident message is presented; the power they gain is purely visual. The sign reveals the importance of people. Any and everyone are worthy enough to accent the electric city and be anonymous king or queen for a day.

: Luna Lupus Luna Lupus is a 21 minute two-channel video projection that depicts a young girl and boy simultaneously being face-painted as a Moon and a Wolf. The complicated mix of ethical ambiguity, identity formation, and gender politics that ensue are the result of the steady mark-making of the artist’s hand upon the children’s faces and audience’s gaze. In the face of heavy content, the video retains an incredible lightness due to the children’s humorous effervescence and their eventual embodiment as the archetypical Luna and Lupus.

: Qeej Hero Qeej Hero is a video game that combines the instrumental karaoke of popular mass-market games like Guitar Hero with an ancient Hmong musical instrument in order to facilitate transnational communication and develop a hybrid form of cultural production through play.

: Qeej Hero Qeej Hero is a video game that combines the instrumental karaoke of popular mass-market games like Guitar Hero with an ancient Hmong musical instrument in order to facilitate transnational communication and develop a hybrid form of cultural production through play.

: Qeej Hero Qeej Hero is a video game that combines the instrumental karaoke of popular mass-market games like Guitar Hero with an ancient Hmong musical instrument in order to facilitate transnational communication and develop a hybrid form of cultural production through play.

: Qeej Hero Qeej Hero is a video game that combines the instrumental karaoke of popular mass-market games like Guitar Hero with an ancient Hmong musical instrument in order to facilitate transnational communication and develop a hybrid form of cultural production through play.

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship Called an "unorthodox, satirical theater art softball game" by the local newspaper, the SWWMYOSBL Championship Game pit rival made-up softball teams, the Steuben Sissies and the Crawford County Kick-A-Poos in an all-too-real knock-down drag-out battle for first place. Each of the 12 bats and 10 balls were made by the artist-players from scavenged sticks, boards, tape, rocks, bicycle tubes, saran wrap, and farm implements.

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship The Crawford County Kick-A-Poos

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship The Steuben Sissies

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League: Championship

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame Enshrining the storied tales of bats a-flame, balls made of liquid water, and fielders flying just faster than the zingers of one loud-speaking announcer, the SWWMYOSBL Hall of Fame recounts and pays tribute to the heroes of the South Western Wisconsin Make Your Own Soft Ball League. Though in existence only one season, within which only one game, the championship, was played between the only two teams in the league, the SWWMYOSBL remains a steadfast symbol of all that is great in this country: John Cougar Mellencamp, Chevy trucks, and artists playing sports. (Or is it players making art?)

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame The Autograph Table

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame The Autograph Table

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame Hall of Fame busts of Rebecca and Adam

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame The jerseys

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame The article in the Prairie du Chien Courier

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

: SWWMYOSBL: Hall of Fame

ACRE Show