absence of the real discussion, 2.19.05

Bo Gehring works in a field of computer technology that facilitates the fabrication of sculpture realized from artists' complex concepts.
He has absorbed the discipline of computer programming as part of his concept within his own artwork. In creating his Virtual Sculptures, Bo is "balancing the worlds of sculpture and programming, where the process itself is a unique thing." These pieces can exist in an actual physical place if executed, but they also exist, currently, in a reality born from the interaction between Bo, and the program he has created. "Instead of making a specific piece element by element as a sculptor would build it...What I would do, since I am a programmer, is write a program that would generate the actions that a live programmer might do if he were to make a sculpture." But in giving the computer freedom to generate form, Bo says he maintains control over the process, guiding it all the way. He explained his method as "getting away from formulas, and not doing things that are mathematically obvious." It is Bo's extensive experience in the programming field that almost allows him to work with the very concept of what creation is and make that the artwork.
In his discussion, Bo cited Naum Gabo, Antoine Pevsner as predecesors.
Another artist Bo mentioned owing a debt to is George Vantongerloo, who said "Mathematics is only the means, the instrument as one uses hammer and chisel to cut marble." Bo Continued, "If I could time travel, I would give this man the gift of having the tools that I have, because they wanted to do this, they really had these ideas, but had no possibilitiy to have done them."