Method In The Madness: An Introduction To Max Büsser’s M.A.D. Gallery

roadwarrior

Grand Tyme Master
Founding Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2014
Messages
64,636
FEB 19, 2020

M.A.D. stands for “Mechanical Art Devices,” but it is also a take on the Mel Gibson character in the film Mad Max — a connection perpetuated by the name of MB&F’s latest piece, the Thunderdome — conflated with the name of the company and gallery founder, Max Büsser. Is there madness in there somewhere? Only in a good way. Büsser’s watch brand, MB&F, needs no introduction. Its offbeat, completely unique interpretations of mechanical timekeeping include watches that resemble spaceships and clocks that move like jellyfish or spiders. They are fun, sometimes scary, always fascinating and never ordinary. Despite their endeavor to entertain and amaze, the level of finishing and horological craft raises them above the level of being gimmicky to the level of art.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/method-...m-a-d-gallery/



The same can be said for the pieces in the M.A.D. Gallery, all of which move or illustrate movement in some way that is out of the ordinary. The kinetic energy in the gallery reveals Büsser’s love of mechanical devices and the nitty-gritty of what makes things work. And yes, there is an element of madness in the gallery as well.



Take the mechanical art of Swiss artist Fabian Oefner, who is based in New York City. His “Disintegrating” series of photographs of iconic cars is staged to make the cars look as if they have been blown apart. Creating the elaborate exploded views is a long process. First, he sketches on paper where the individual pieces should be posed. Then he takes apart model cars piece by piece, including over 1,000 components from body shell to screws, and arranges each one for a photograph. He creates the final print by blending over 2,000 individual images together in Photoshop. It can take two months to create an image that looks like it was captured in a fraction of a second.

MBF-MAD-Fabian_Oefner_Portrait.jpeg


After the “Disintegrating” series with scale models, a suite of images of high performance cars that seem to have blown apart, the Swiss artist challenged himself with a real car: a 1972 Lamborghini Miura Super Veloce.

Oefner_Miura_BTS_01.jpg


“It took two years and over 2500 photographs to realize this work, from the first time the idea came to me to the final printed image. I depended on the restoration times of the workshop and the challenge was to always keep in mind the vision that I had at the beginning.”

Oefner_BTS_Miura_09.jpg

From scale models to a real Miura: that sounds like a big leap.
That’s quite different, yes. I worked on the scale models in my studio, which is very quiet, and creating was almost a soothing process. With the real car it got a lot more complicated: I was in the workshop where you’d have constant noise. Beside me, I had people working – and that was the most beautiful experience of this whole endeavor! – whom I was just asking, “Can I please have a little corner?” Also, keep in mind I did this in July, so it was 44°C in the workshop, I was sweating, and it smelled like gasoline in the air. It’s way more tangible when you do it with the real thing. Now, when I look at the photograph, all the smells and the ambiance of the workshop come back.

Oefner_Disintegrating_No_04_large.jpg


The five images of the “Disintegrating II” series are exploded views of iconic cars that Oefner has painstakingly created by deconstructing scale-models, photographing each component, piece by piece in a very specific position, to create the illusion of an exploding automobile.

This stunning photo series involves fooling the observer into seeing the images as computer-generated renderings rather than the real photographs that they are.

Oefner says: “I have always been fascinated by the clean, crisp looks of 3D renderings. So I tried to use that certain type of aesthetic and combine it with the strength of real photography.”

Maximilian Büsser, M.A.D.Gallery Founder and Curator said: “Fabian Oefner’s works are perfect examples of how mechanical art can be powerfully beautiful. Seeing objects we are so familiar with breaking down into hundreds of pieces, challenges the viewer’s perception of these items. ‘Disintegrating II’ truly encapsulates M.A.D.Gallery’s concept of celebrating the art of mechanics.”

https://www.madgallery.net/geneva/en...sintegrating-x



“FREEZING A MOMENT IN TIME IS STUPEFYING.”

Then, according to his initial sketch, he placed each piece individually with the aid of fine needles and pieces of string. After meticulously working out the angle of each shot and establishing the right lighting, he photographed the component, and took thousands of photographs to create each “Disintegrating II” image.

Oefner_Disintegrating-07_Bugatti-57SC_Lres.jpg

Oefner_BTS_Miura_05_large.jpg


https://www.madgallery.net/geneva/en/creators


https://www.madgallery.net/geneva/en...chicara-nagata


The Chicara Art One is the first motorbike of Chicara Nagata's unique series.

He created it in 2006 with a vintage 1939 Harley Davidson flathead engine, and over 500 components made of steel, copper, aluminum, brass and nickel all crafted by hand.

With its 260 kgs of metal, and 1200 cc. power, Chicara Art One took over 7500 hours to be completed, which represents over two years of intense work.

Croquis-CA-1.jpg
CA-1-front.jpg

chicara-art-three_large.jpg

https://www.madgallery.net/geneva/en.../nixie-machine

nixie-machine_large.jpg


Introduced in the 1950s, Nixie tubes – also known as cold cathode displays – became a popular way of presenting numerals using glow discharge.

The name Nixie is thought to derive from the Burroughs Corporation’s “NIX I”, which in turn was believed to have stood for “Numeric Indicator eXperimental No.1”.

Each glass tube is filled with a neon-based gas at low pressure and features a wire-mesh anode and layered cathodes shaped like numerals – one separate cathode is needed for every numeral 0 to 9. A distinctive orange glow discharge surrounds each cathode when power is applied to it. By connecting electronic circuitry to several tubes, multi-digit Nixie tube displays were often used for computers, clocks and frequency counters, though were eventually supplanted by more practicable, less costly – yet arguably less charming – displays such as light- emitting diodes (LEDs).

Nixie Machine features six incredibly preserved, hard-to-find Nixie tubes from the communist era that have been stored for decades in a sealed Bulgarian army depot. This ‘new old stock’ was sourced by MB&F friend and Nixie clocks collector Alberto Schileo, who was also responsible for the electronic circuit board – a clock board – to create Nixie Machine's visually arresting six-digit time and date display.

Schileo says: “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire such beautiful ‘new old stock’ in such quantity. I started thinking about a high-end Nixie clock and Frank Buchwald’s work immediately came to mind. I had no doubt that Frank would be able to create something along the same lines as his Machine Lights, something spectacular that incorporated the Nixie tubes.”

NIXIE MACHINE’S CLOCK

nixie-machine-mad_large.jpg

Nixie Machine’s clock is powered by a direct drive mechanism.

This is where each digit of each tube is controlled individually, and power is applied to the cathode all the time while it is lit. This sophisticated circuit is demanding to build, but is easier on the tubes over time and helps maximise their lifespan.

Nixie Machine’s clock circuit board has both a GPS receiver and DCF77 receiver for time and date setting. Manual setting is also possible. There are a variety of date and time formats, and different ways of displaying those, including fading effects. One key feature is a programmable flip over effect where the digits count fast from one digit to the next, like the reels of a slot machine.

Being able to regularly cycle through all the digits of all the tubes helps to prevent ‘cathode poisoning’ – when regularly unused digits accumulate a deposit and eventually cease functioning – thus maximising the life of each tube.

Buchwald says: “Nixie Machine embodies my thoughts on time and machines. There is something magical about the way its six digits glow to subtly light up a work or living space. For me, it was an inspiring piece to create and I hope that for others it is an inspiring piece to own and behold.”

 
Back
Top Bottom