Song for Luke

Saint Luke, the patron saint of both physicians and artists, is reputed to have been the first to attempt an image of the Mother of God. This sculpture, inspired by a dream I had about St. Luke and Eurynome, was created in gratitude and celebration of my wife's successful cancer surgery. Song for Luke is dedicated to the physicians and staff of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.


In the beginning, Eurynome, the Goddess of All Things, rose naked from Chaos

Finding nothing substantial to rest upon, she divided up from down and danced upon the difference. Growing lonely, she coupled with her own movement, Ophion. In due process of Time, she laid the universal egg out of which tumbled everything else, her children (the gods), the sun, moon, stars, and planets, the earth with its mountains and rivers, its trees, herbs and all living things.
A Pelasgian (pre-Greek) creation myth, c. 3500 B.C.


"Song for Luke" was created in Spring l976 and consists of a limited edition of closely related works. The mirror backing and base are acrylic. The completely solid state circuitry (tin-flashed copper on epoxy fiberglass) utilizes TTL logic devices.


268 WORDS (EQUAL TO THE ABOVE DIAGRAM)

The 16 cell memory has two inputs: the Shift input and the Data input. The memory is controlled through these inputs by two light sensitive oscillators, "eyes". The Data input oscillates faster with an increase of light level. Each oscillation of the Shift input causes whatever data (on or off) that is in the cells to shift up one cell. New data is loaded into the first cell with each oscillation of the Shift input. Whether the state of the first cell will be "off" or "on" is determined by the condition of the Data input at the time the shift occurs. If the Data input is "on" when the Shift occurs, then an "on" state will occupy the first cell. Subsequent Shift oscillations will advance that data up the 16 cells. The moving light patterns are achieved by letting each of the memory cells control four symmetrically placed light emitting diodes in the 64 diode matrix.

In other words, one "eye" sees light, the other "eye' sees darkness. Each"eye" emits a frequency. The results of comparing the two frequencies creates the matrix's light patterns. Since the eyes are capable of registering imperceptable changes in ambient light level and since the mathematical relationship of the two frequencies may be complex, the moving light pattern constantly changes.

EURYNOME'S SONG

One perception of light sings
a song of boundaries,
distinctions and gradients;
Another contemplates darkness
and chants of "ON" and "OFF".
Seeking each other
(neither's complete)
togehter giving
sequence awareness, meaning.



* Memoir of the Creative Process
* Three sculture related to Song for Luke
* Art Market Lesson from Allan Stone