Moshpit of Creation is one of the newest places in Groningen where young artists can work on their projects and share their expertise with one another. We spoke to the artist Lee McDonald (1979) in his studio and he gave us a brief introduction into his work and process.
"I did my A-levels at Plymouth University of Art and Design. After which, I moved to Bristol to study for my Degree in Fine Arts at the University of The West England where I focussed on sculpture and video. As I remember, I studied the hand and built a motorized finger. However, when I had to present it, it sadly failed to work and I was asked to go back to the studio to fix it. Later, I showed the working device to the tutors, it jerked and twitched a bit when I switched it on in a way that caused the tutors to laugh. One of the tutors said I should continue making this type of work because there's something interesting about it.
After my time in Bristol I moved back to Plymouth,and worked with several artist lead initiatives including KARST before I started a AA2A residency at the University of Plymouth. Here I had access to the facilities and used them for developing my work. In exchange I just had to hang out with the students and work. Sometimes I would attend studio visits and give advice about how it is to be an artist. On one occasion Robin Punt was invited to give a presentation about the Frank Mohr Institute. He gave me an application form and that's how I ended up applying to study Media, Art, Design and Technology (MADtech). I got accepted and moved to Groningen in 2015.
The great thing about the Frank Mohr Institute is that there are a lot of international students and that you are exposed to a lot of different cultures and ways of thinking. I graduated in 2017 and have since settled here. Groningen is a great town to be an artist because a lot of things are very accessible here. For a town of this size there are a lot of art spaces and projects for which you can apply. This, in turn, attracts a lot of different artists and creates a lot of cultural diversity.
“I don't know why I make these works, but it's very addictive”
Last year I was very busy with projects and exhibitions, so this year I would like to focus on developing new works in my studio. At the moment I am working on an Infinity Dome. It Is an immersive 360 testing space for recording my test with a 360 camera,once the tests are recorded they can be viewed in a 360 headset or oculus rift. This has been made possible because of the Lucht stipend by Kunstpunt. The idea is that I can use this dome to film my works, and I intend to make the space available for other people to use. I have been building an archive of a series of videos that I call Tests, in which I develop all types of motorized works that perform different actions. I don't know why I make these works, but it's very addictive and I have made over 2000 video registrations to date.
I usually work with simple motor systems. At the moment I am collaborating with Igor Bobeldijk, a current FMI student, who is helping me to develop some programmed control systems that use a simple artificial intelligence to steer the motors that animate the works. So if the motor turns and comes across an obstruction, it senses this and the motor then reverses this to prevent the test from tangling up or getting stuck. This is a way for me to prevent my work from becoming too predictable. Sometimes the works provoke laughter and is something that I am ok with, but not necessarily the aim. My main interest is the unexpected and the obscure; such as movements or actions that I haven't seen before. I try to see when something interesting happens and how it can develop further.”