Senate Piece detail

In this detail of the circuit board of the "Main Piece" of the "Senate Piece", "10:40" is the time of day. "2" means there is a quorum call in the Senate according to the archaic light and buzzer signal system which which is still employed to inform Senators in the area of the state of parlimentary procedures, The other red and yellow lights are LEDs indicating states of TTL logic devices.

Silvery tin-flashed copper traces connecting functioning electronic components do double duty as they also describe hand-drawn and rubber-stamped imagery relating to the Senate.

The Senate building facade displays the motto "e pluribus unum". Above the motto on one side is a man sawing a plank between a group of eskimos and farmers guarding a giant rabbit.

On the other side is an owl and a gremlin viewing a pile up of automobiles. The small cartoon balloon on the right says "squeek squeek" and may be a reference to the small voice of a single person. That small person may take the the form of Carl Levin, who grew up in Detroit in the Forties and Fifties, where he was assigned seats in many classrooms, courtrooms, council rooms and, eventually, the Senate.
To see Carl's first Senate seat assignment (and another detail of the "Main Piece's" circuit board))


Various objects are set into the painted welded steel form that holds the printed circuit board. Many coins are displayed for the symbolism of their imagery. An "Indian Head" penny is paired with the obverse of the "Buffalo" nickel.

Pallas 1995.

 

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Ylem's Art on the Edge