Philip Mitchell Graham

Profile

Philip Mitchell Graham: WIRE TAMER, research artist and sculptor.

Founding member of NEA performance art group ‘EXTENDED VISION’.

My other on line folios:
http://newepoch.deviantart.com/
http://www.myspace.com/wiretamer

What is a wire tamer? An artist who bends wire to his will. I don’t twirl it or twist it – I TAME it. Wire is just like a wild animal – its dangerous! Especially the wire I use: rusty antique eight gauge fencing wire. It can whiplash up to three meters if you are not careful, and it will rip your skin open in a flash. But not after I’ve finished with it… when I’m done its safe enough for young children to handle. I illustrate with wire. I make it take the form I see in my imagination. I work it to within a fraction of a millimeter tolerance. I do not ever let the wire force my hand.

Reusing old wire in works of art is a potent symbol of green values. I have a personal saying: ‘Recycling is for wimps, the real deal is reusing materials’. Recycling has the same carbon footprint as conventional manufacturing, when you add the energy consumed in transport, sorting, cleaning and reprocessing second hand materials. Metals are a perfect example of this, because of the high energy required to smelt scrap.

Wire is difficult to recycle because it is dangerous to handle, low density by volume and has very high surface area contamination. Adding low density crushed ferrous wire scrap to a blast furnace is of limited value because much of it gets vaporized.

For its mass, steal and iron plain wire are two of the most durable products of the industrial age. Most of the wire I use is around one hundred and twenty years old. When not exposed to salt or direct contact with soil; heavy gauge ungalvanized ‘black’ wire, rusts evenly and forms a protective skin against further oxidation. Much of the heavy gauge galvanized wire from the 1930’s and 40’s looks almost new today.

Contrary to popular belief metal wire does not get brittle with age. So called brittle wire was either high in carbon to begin with, has been work hardened in spots by bending, stretching or twisting, or surface corrosion has caused weak spots along the wire.

My other hats:

I’ve experience in notation system design, performance art, interactive painting, graphic design, photocopy based art, font design, sign writing, archival work, manuscript transcription, photographic documentation, digital image processing, photographic restoration, linear translation of photographic images, off line video editing, music composition, sound engineering and creative writing.

Curriculum Vitae: Philip Mitchell Graham

Born Melbourne 10 August 1966

1979-80 Private tuition in Violin Making from grandfather, Benjamin Graham

1984-87 Private tuition in New Epoch Art from my father, Peter Graham. As his apprentice I acted as a sounding board, participated in many experiments, jointly wrote theoretical essays, organized, documented and cataloged his work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Benjamin_Graham

1987 Founding member of performance art group ‘EXTENDED VISION’.

1987 to 1993 Designed and built special costumes and equipment including a series of unique rotating multi-canvas ‘TriEasels’ for the public performance of New Epoch Art.

1987 to 1995 Developed teaching methods and gave private tuition in New Epoch Art to a succession of students ranging in age from 7 to 70.

1992 Appointed Assessor for the Warrandyte Youth Arts Award, Warrandyte Arts and Education Trust

1997 to 2000 Bachelor of Arts (Multimedia) Victoria University

1997 to Present. Produced a large series of biomechanical drawings in pen and ink.

2001 to Present. Demonstrated the making of Wind Dancer wire sculptures at markets and festivals throughout Eastern Australia

2007 to Present. Settled in Newstead Central Victoria and continued to demonstrate wire sculpture at Wesley Hill Market and Castlemaine Artists’ Market.

2008 Founding member of a Castlemaine Artists’ Co-operative.

PUBLICATIONS
1990 ‘New Epoch Art’ INTERACTA: Journal of the Art Teachers Association of Victoria, No 4

GROUP EXHIBITIONS and PERFORMANCE EVENTS with EXTENDED VISION

1989 MONDO SHOWROOMS, Surrey Hills

1990 Peoples Improvisational Theatre Richmond

1991 Lyttleton Gallery

1991 NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA – gallery society workshops

1991 HEIDE PARK AND GALLERY – 10th Anniversary celebrations

1992 NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA – Hidden Imagination Festival

1992 No Vacancy Installation, Collins St

1992 NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA Next Wave Festival

1992 NEA Experience One: Canterbury Studios

1992 Melbourne Fringe Festival

1993 NEA Experience Two: Canterbury Studios

1993 A.R.T. (artroundtown) Performance and Installation, Collins St.

1999 Group Exhibition at Victoria University Student Village

2001 to 2003 Regular WireTaming demonstrations throughout central Victorian markets and festivals.

2004 to 2006 Study tour of northern NSW and southern Queensland. Continued demonstrating Wind Dancer wire sculptures at markets and festivals on the road.

2006 Exhibition of sculpture and drawings Tenterfield NSW

2008 Artanica Mt Macedon Horticultural Society

2009 Castlemaine Artists’ Co-operative exhibition Castlemaine Fringe Festival

2009 ‘TECTONICS’ (Jewelery) Castlemaine Market Building

2009 Artanica Mt Macedon Horticultural Society

2009 Whitehorse Cottage Studio & Garden