dc apprenticeship: tim tate’s a man with no heart

Tim Tate is working on a fascinating new series based on the old circus sideshow.  Recently I had the opportunity to watch as Tim assembled the latest sculpture in the series – A Man With No Heart. Using blown and cast glass components in addition to video, Tate was both the conductor and the orchestra as he brought this piece to the stage.

A Man With No Heart
from the series 21st Century Sideshow picture: Pete Duvall

In the slideshow below I share a glimpse of Tate’s mad-scientist-like worktable where blown glass domes and cast glass elements are vying for space with video screens and electronics components. And that’s just the beginning – the rest of the images are highlights of the assembly process. The ghastly green glow, both on Tim’s face and on the cast glass man with no heart, comes from his special UV lamp. Don’t mistake the artist for the art – in fact it didn’t take me long to realize that Tim Tate, unlike his latest sculpture, is The Man With The Big Heart. Enjoy.

This slideshow is best viewed in full screen mode.

For those of you reading this post in your email, click here to view the slideshow.

A Note. . .

I am delighted to announce that we have raised enough money to extend my stay through the end of March – a testament to the generosity of DAM’s readers and to your love of Tim Tate’s work. Many, many thanks to all of you! (If you purchased a heart, they are shipping today – who knew that the post office closed so early on Saturday?).

Thanks also to everyone who wrote to me privately or commented on Friday’s post to tell me what you want to see and hear about this apprenticeship. I am working on several of the things that you suggested and you will be hearing from the artist’s themselves soon. In addition, much of the experience will be processed when I get back home – I’ve taken over 6,000 photos, recorded quite a bit of audio and written copious notes, which means that I will be reporting and posting about this part of my journey for several weeks after my return home. Possibilities for the next apprenticeship are already forming, but I’ll save that for another day!