Solar Powered Sonic Cicada House



Whenever the sun is shinning, loud cicada sounds can be heard inside of the Solar Powered Sonic Cicada House.













Cosmic Reliquary


Plastic and TV monitor

Dimensions, 26 inches high, 8 inches wide, 8 inches long. The object has a TV monitor tuned to the images and sounds of static built into the top. In the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe, evidence of this event can be seen in the form of background radiation on the screens of our televisions. When the televisions are set in-between channels, the static seen and heard on the screens is said to contain residue from the radiation produced at the moment of universal creation.

Based on this theory, my reliquary contains symbolic evidence of this cosmic event, displayed on the encapsulated

television screen. At the same time the vessel contains symbolic evidence of a humans life in the form of their ashes.

Now this person has symbolically been merged once again with that event which produced all life. The ashes would be contained in the lower section of the reliquary. They can be released little by little, by turning the knobs on the base of the cone. The ashes will fall into the gold dish from which they can be spread wherever desired.










The Climb Into Dream Time


Plastic

Dimension, 12 inches long, 7 inches wide, 11 inches high.





















The Dream Machine


Plastic and wood Model

Model Dimensions, 32 inch diameter, 12 inches high.


The Dream Machine is a conceptual proposal for a large installation in a gallery. Viewers would enter a large white circular room, at the center of which would be located the Dream Machine. The design of the installation suggests that I am sleeping in the private chamber at the top of the machine.

They would hear the sounds of low breathing recorded while I was sleeping. The top of the Dream Machine would be slowly rotating while it projects images onto the circular wall through two video projectors. These projectors would be mounted at the end of the large radius arm. The images being projected would appear to be my dreams, and a real time electrocardiogram of my heart beating. Entrance to the sleep chamber is sealed of from the public with chain link fencing, and barbed wire.









We Had The Same Dream Last Night


Plastic, Dimensions, 20 inches long, 5 inches high, 5 inches wide. A small motor slowly rotates the pillows around and around from one bed to the other.












House with Pool Emerging From The Future


Plastic and TV monitor

Dimensions, 18 inches wide, 24 inches high, 20 inches long. The structure has a TV monitor tuned to the images and sounds of static, built into its base.














Prayer  Kiosk


Each of the five cylinders represents one of the five great world religions. One can select for him or herself a favorite religion, kneel down in front of one of the altars, and write a prayer on the computer screen. Then one only needs to pull his or her credit card through the card reader to pay for the transaction, press “Send” and the prayer is virtually dispatched out into the universe, through one antenna.















Sun Powered Orbiting Scared

Oak Tree Observatory


Plastic and wood model

Dimensions, 9 inches high, 30 inch diameter.

Whenever the sun shines, the oak tree slowly moves around the elevated track on wheels that are connected to solar powered electric motors.
















Shadow House

Friday  March 13th 7:35  AM  2009


The Shadow House, Friday March 13th 7:35 AM 2009, is the first in a series of conceptual architecture art projects. The idea is based on my observations that when a shadow is cast from any object by the sun, there is an entire three dimensional volume that makes up the shadow form, not just a two dimensional shape projected from the object. In addition, the shadow form continually changes as the sun moves around the object from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, and month to month. In the Shadow House Friday March 13th 7:35 AM 2009, I have used this phenomenon to create an unexpected space expansion of the original conventional symbolic house form. A small model of the house was first built and placed in the sunlight on a horizontal surface. The specific date and time was noted as I traced the outline of the shadow cast onto the horizontal surface by the model. I then expanded the shape of the original model to include the full shape of the shadow volume. This was done by drawing straight lines from the edges of the models sunlit surfaces to the edges of the shadow plain projected onto the horizontal surface. The smaller shadow spaces projected from the windows, door, and steps, were also added. The shadow space extensions were then painted black to contrast with the original structure.

The model of the expanded house will be used to direct the construction of a full sized version for exterior use. People will be able to actually enter the full sized version, where the shape of the original structures interior, will be altered so that the entire shadow space expansion will be accessible. In this way, people can walk into and experience the shadow space of the Shadow House. Of course, every year  from now on, as long as the structure exists, and as long as the sun is shining, on Friday March 13th at 7:35 AM, the shadow of the original house will be absorbed by the shadow space expansion.





























 
M I C H A E L   J A N T Z E N Welcome_2.html

The Literaryum




The Literaryum was originally designed as a special inspirational functional art space, in which to read and/or write. Of course it can also be used as a place in which to be creatively inspired in many other ways. The structure is formed into an eight-foot cube made of steel and aluminum. The cube can be made larger, and/or it can be clustered together in multiples to form larger spaces. Five sides of the cube are fitted with aluminum panels, perforated with inspirational text chosen by the owner of the Literaryum. The letters of the text are cut out of the aluminum sheets that clad the surface of the cube, leaving a lacy semi transparent screen. The letters are cut from the aluminum so they can be read from the inside of the structure; this means that they are reversed from the outside. These aluminum panels hinge open or closed over four eight foot sliding glass doors and the glass ceiling, so the text can be seen in every direction except through the floor.

Many accessories are available including, solar powered heating and cooling, interior privacy shades, interior custom night lighting fixtures, and a selection of interior custom designed furniture. The basic eight-foot cube is prefabricated and can be delivered to nearly any site without special preparations and/or building permits. Conceptually, the idea is to create a magical place made of inspired words, which surround the person inside, in hopes that this immersive environment will help the occupant in their own quest for creative inspiration.


The Personal Prayer Transmission Vessel


The Personal Prayer Transmission Vessel was designed to provide a unique sacred place in which to meditate and (with the help of specially designed technology) send an intimate prayer to your personal god.

The exterior of the PPTV is clad with white washed stucco, and gold colored metal. Inside of the vessel, at the center of the floor, is mounted a white metal kneeling bench equipped with an electronic digital note pad and pen.

Prayers can be written on the digital pad with the digital pen. Once the prayers are complete, the red send button at the center of the kneeling bench is pressed in order to transcribe and transmit the hand written digital prayers out into the universe through the dish antenna mounted on the top of the vessel. Once the prayers have been transmitted, the word SENT appears on the digital note pad.

Crinkled gold foil lines the interior perimeter of the structure to reflect and symbolically contain the prayers of the occupant until they are released through the antenna.

The only light sources inside of the PPTV come from the surface of the digital note pad, and from the digital skylight mounted at the center of the ceiling. Moving images of blue sky and white clouds can be seen on the digital skylight and sounds of wind blowing can be heard to inspire the occupants during their visitation to the Personal Prayer Transmission Vessel.



Eco-Seed Sowing Machines

(A symbolic public art response to environmental degradation)







The Eco-Seed Sowing Machines are solar powered structures that contain a large amount of flower seeds. Whenever evidence of environmental degradation is observed, a signal is sent to the various structures, and a small amount of flower seeds are automatically released onto the earth below. Eco-Seed Sowing Machines are a symbolic public art response to environmental degradation caused by humanities naive and systematic destruction of our planet. These structures are located in various places around

the world. Each is equipped with communication devices that receive information through the Internet. This information is monitored from groups like Earth Watch, who search the world for evidence of environmental degradation.







































































































































The House As A Metaphor

(A series of conceptual art sculptures)



The House As A Metaphor, is a series of conceptual-art sculptures that incorporate a simple symbolic shape of a house in each of the pieces. In some cases the title of the piece is very directly related to its finale form, and in others, the title and the form are more abstractly connected. In every case, the intention was to play with the image of the house, and have some fun with it.