BigBots: Ally Reeves
Look-See Tree
The Look-See* Tree is a mobile artwork housing 5 motion activated mini-theatres. The small theatres contain robotic animals in somewhat natural settings within a large tree structure.
From afar, viewers will see a large tree trunk lying on its side, supported by wheels, and connected to a bike. As they approach, viewers will notice the leaves of the tree, which shake in several places around the tree, encouraging viewers to examine each location. Closer inspection will reveal several glowing hollows in the tree trunk. As viewers approach and peak in, they will see animals that will respond to their presence accompanied by the unusual sounds and setting of their almost natural environment. The setting which the animals inhabit will be littered with detritus and various signs of technology, in an attempt to create in miniature version of some of the strange innovations and reapportions that take place when nature meets urban space. For example- birds whose calls mimic cell phone rings and car alarms, and animals that collect scraps from city spaces that are then used as nesting material.
Viewers will also notice a unique feature of the Look-See Tree Big-Bot - which is that its power source is supplied on-site hand cranked generator. The source of locomotion for the sculpture is also a point of interest- an electric bike. The Look-See Tree proposes technologies that are of low environmental impact. This approach means low-cost to no cost in sustaining a means of showing the sculpture, while showcasing species that seem to gracefully and disturbingly have found ways to adapt to settings irrevocably affected by human-related environmental augmentation.
*The term “look-see tree” is taken from a name given to trees that have been converted to fire watch or simply observation towers. This name was of interest to me because it designates a tree as a place to go for observation and contemplation- in this case, however, the view is inside the tree rather than beyond it.
Technical Support: Technical support and skills in fabrication have been provided Josh Shapiro and Thiago Hersan.
Ally Reeves
Ally Reeves works in portable and performance based formats that allow her to create temporary art-experiences in shifting show spaces. On wheels, in a suitcase, or wheat pasted to a wall, Reeves’ focus is accessibility and the emphasis of the power of artworks through integration into daily life.
Reeves’ subject matter addresses issues of autonomy, escapism, hierarchy in institutions, public and private space, eating locally, and living sustainably. An advocate for the expansion of artist’s roles, Reeves works in fields such as education, curation, community organization, and robotics, utilizing new media and new space to create works whose implications stretch beyond artistic contexts.
Currently, Reeves is a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a soon-to-be fellow at Carnegie Mellon’s STUDIO for creative inquiry. Ally Reeves will be teaching a teens class on portable artworks at the Mattress Factory museum this summer.
Location: All over the city!
Helpful Hints: Ally and the Look-See Tree visit each CitiParks Roving Art Cart Location!
