Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork
Encyclopedia
The Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork also known as PIEQF can be seen as the seminal work of New Zealand born installation and performance artist D.V. Rogers
.
This early 21st century example of land art
was installed temporarily in the remote township of Parkfield,Central California. A geologically interactive installation, this machine earthwork operated autonomously for a total of 91 days between 18 August and 16 November 2008.
An earthquake shaking table
was used in this seismic art intervention
which was controlled by realtime reported Californian earthquakes detected by the US Geological Survey seismic monitoring network.
.
The work consisted of installing a re-engineered earthquake shake table in a crudely excavated trench in a vacant field between the Parkfield Cafe and Parkfield CAL FIRE Station. Local contractors Frank Parlot and John Jamrog used a bulldozer and excavator to displace 125 cubic yards of earth on 9 June 2008 from the site.
Rogers originally intended to have the installation operational between 28 June and 28 September. Extreme hot weather, natural dust devils, software development and financial constraints pushed the system switch on date to 18 August 2008.
Software for the installation was developed by Dr. Geo Homsy (US), Stock Plum (NL), Mr. Snow (NZ), Andy Michael (USGS) and Peter Luka (US).
The installation was two years in planning, culminating in 77 days of assembly, and resulted in 91 days of continuous seismic data connectivity. The seismic interface control system was shut down on 16 November 2008. Eight days later the shake table was removed from site. Rogers and local landowner John Varian filled in the excavated trench and repatriated the site.
frames were disseminated live via the internet. 7,862,400 seconds (91 days) of analogue VCR video recording was collected.
The installation was extensively documented by filmmaker Christina McPhee along with a series of photographs with kite aerial photography
produced by geologist and photographer Scott Haefner.
Influenced by the monumental and permanent land art earthworks of the early 1970s, the installation was a conceptual feedback
loop between the seismic activity of California and the mechanical reflection of these frequent seismic events which controlled the earthquake shake table. Each time an earthquake occurred an array of 5/8 inch steel rods attached to the earthquake shake table oscillated and resonated.
Today in Parkfield there is very little evidence to suggest that this earthwork actually took place.
D.V. Rogers
D.V. Rogers is the installation-based performance artist-engineer behind the machine earthwork Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork which took place in the central Californian town of Parkfield during 2008....
.
This early 21st century example of land art
Land art
Land art, Earthworks , or Earth art is an art movement which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked...
was installed temporarily in the remote township of Parkfield,Central California. A geologically interactive installation, this machine earthwork operated autonomously for a total of 91 days between 18 August and 16 November 2008.
An earthquake shaking table
Earthquake shaking table
There are several different experimental techniques that can be used to test the response of structures to verify their seismic performance, one of which is the use of an earthquake shaking table...
was used in this seismic art intervention
Art intervention
Art intervention is an interaction with a previously existing artwork, audience or venue/space. It has the auspice of conceptual art and is commonly a form of performance art. It is associated with the Viennese Actionists, the Dada movement and Neo-Dadaists...
which was controlled by realtime reported Californian earthquakes detected by the US Geological Survey seismic monitoring network.
Construction
Rogers selected the location of Parkfield for its significance as the most densely monitored earthquake region in the world. USGS Seismologist Andy Micheal originally suggested the location. Parkfield is also the home of the USGS Parkfield Earthquake Experiment and the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). The region of Parkfield is located on the central section of the San Andreas FaultSan Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
.
The work consisted of installing a re-engineered earthquake shake table in a crudely excavated trench in a vacant field between the Parkfield Cafe and Parkfield CAL FIRE Station. Local contractors Frank Parlot and John Jamrog used a bulldozer and excavator to displace 125 cubic yards of earth on 9 June 2008 from the site.
Rogers originally intended to have the installation operational between 28 June and 28 September. Extreme hot weather, natural dust devils, software development and financial constraints pushed the system switch on date to 18 August 2008.
Software for the installation was developed by Dr. Geo Homsy (US), Stock Plum (NL), Mr. Snow (NZ), Andy Michael (USGS) and Peter Luka (US).
The installation was two years in planning, culminating in 77 days of assembly, and resulted in 91 days of continuous seismic data connectivity. The seismic interface control system was shut down on 16 November 2008. Eight days later the shake table was removed from site. Rogers and local landowner John Varian filled in the excavated trench and repatriated the site.
Performance
The Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork was triggered by almost 4500 Californian seismic events. Individual event IDS were allocated and have been archived by USGS databases. 43000 webcamWebcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
frames were disseminated live via the internet. 7,862,400 seconds (91 days) of analogue VCR video recording was collected.
The installation was extensively documented by filmmaker Christina McPhee along with a series of photographs with kite aerial photography
Kite aerial photography
Kite aerial photography is a hobby and a type of photography. A camera is lifted using a kite and is triggered either remotely or automatically to take aerial photographs. The camera rigs can range from the extremely simple, consisting of a trigger mechanism with a disposable camera, to complex...
produced by geologist and photographer Scott Haefner.
Influenced by the monumental and permanent land art earthworks of the early 1970s, the installation was a conceptual feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
loop between the seismic activity of California and the mechanical reflection of these frequent seismic events which controlled the earthquake shake table. Each time an earthquake occurred an array of 5/8 inch steel rods attached to the earthquake shake table oscillated and resonated.
Today in Parkfield there is very little evidence to suggest that this earthwork actually took place.
External links
- "Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork" Official Site.
- "Seismic Art Installation on the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield" USGS Press Release, 15 October 2008.
- "Parkfield Earthquake Shake Table Exhibit" USGS Archive.
- "Parkfield Shake Table" Photo Gallery. Scott Haefner Photography.
- "Seismic Intervention". Christina McPhee YouTube Channel.
- "Shake-O-Rama". Megan Mansell Williams, Make Magazine, Vol. 16, p. 20.
- "All Shookup: Seismic Art". Carrie Miller, Artlife Blog, 20 August 2008.
- "Seismology Research, USA/Australia". Advantech Automation Application Note, 4 December 2008.