About David Karave ...

David Karave creates new cinemas. His most recent artworks combine cinema, robotics and pyrotechnics within one single, intensive showing. The subject of Karave's art include issues of propaganda, the nature of war, and the struggle for human autonomy.

David Karave studied Theatre during his undergraduate days in London, England and Bennington, Vermont. He then went on to receive his master's degree in fine arts [Robotic Art and Cinema] in Montreal, Quebec. 

Karave's performance artwork undertakes a simultaneous combination of artforms that places his art among the most unique artworks in the world today. Karave combines cinema with animatronic sculpture, soundscapes, music, theatre, and pyrotechnics.

Home Automation, Karave's most well known artwork, a multimedia project combining sculpture, fire, sound and animatronics, is a project that was created over a period of 4 years by more than 30 artists in the USA and Canda.

The project was created with moulds of several crash test dummies loaned from the defense department, and has met with some controversy, especially after its performance for the art against fear festival in Florida.

One reporter's reaction was to suggest that Karave and his art should be treated as terrorism and that he should therefore be delivered to Guantanamo bay. Despite Karave's request that this statement be retracted, the reporter's blog still remains on the net.

Nevertheless, critical responses to Karave's work have been very positive, with praise coming for his intensely multi disciplinary approach, and his ability to create artworks that are absolutely unique not only in form but in message.

The Tampa Tribune called David Karave "a rising star in the artworld."

 

Show and Exposition History

 

'Imaginary Bowels' , an installation
2004, Borget Gallery, Montreal, Quebec

A broken down abandoned and dusty restroom of busted toilets is transformed into a post apocalpytic world. The impression given is a restroom that will have been abandoned in the near future. Graffiti on rusty stall doors describe a smut laden history of imaginary war and fallout. A sound installation mimicks the impression of ghosts emanating from the sinks and toilets.

 

Fear Gives Rise to the Illusion of Human Life,
a multimedia performance
2005, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec

A ghostlike lifesize plaster animatronic mother and baby perform through remote actuated sound and robotics. They perform in realtime before a blue screen, and the bluescreen is intermitently recorded and projected upon, video mixed with anxiety producing terror news footage. The baby appears and disappears as a ghost, through previously recorded stop motion animation video. Eventually the terror news footage sounds emanate from the ghost animatrons heads, as in a séance.

 

 

Home Automation, a multimedia performance
2005, Societe Des Arts Technologiques, Montreal, Quebec

A family of lifesize animatronic aluminum crash test dummies are watching TV in their own living rooms, and are watched by an audience. The family of dummies are arguing over the extent of preparations needed for a new cellar bomb shelter. The dummies speak of burying cans of food. The TV alerts the family to a raise in the color code threat alert status, and the dummies movements and voices begin to become more and more repetitive, anxiety ridden, and seizure like. Eventually the family's movements become hopelessly violent and repetitious, their limbs beginning to break off. The child crash test dummy, Nevil Enin, is able to escape the chaos living within its own naive imagination.

link : more info on the Home Automation project and the defense department crash test dummies that were used in its creation (links to Home Automation subpage of the main menu)

 

 

Home Automation
2006, The Edward Albee Foundation, Montauk, NY
Fellowship awarded by Edward Albee to create
a new multimedia performance.

 

Terror Test B122211A, an installation
2007, The Powerhouse Gallery, Memphis, TN

Exhibition at this world renowned gallery, featured a new installation inside a constructed deteriorated cellar space. Broken down crash test dummies body parts litter the gallery floor. A soundscape of morbid newscasters informs the spectator of the terrible consequences of leaving their living room. The crash test dummy has become America's official symbol.

 

Home Automation, a pyrotechnic robotic art and multimedia performance
2007, The Bonnaroo Festival, Manchester, TN

With 80,000+ spectators in attendance, and performing beside bands such as The Police, Tool, and The Flaming Lips, The Home Automation project is given another chaotic upgrade : the addition of pyrotechnics. As the animatronic dummies watch rising color code threat alerts on their projected home TV, the robot family's heads finally ignite into circuit breaking flames.

 

Karave has also created several experimental short films and one full length feature film

Of most recent note, David Karave is developing a full length fictional script, which was recently pitched to film director David Lynch with positive response. The film will go into production in 2009/2010. For more info on this film project, and past experimental film productions, visit the film productions subpage

David Karave can be contacted by emailing [david at crashingart.com]