78 RPM — Dave Bois
Inspiration: Math and numbers can be intimidating, but they can also be big fun and provide a source of meaning. I was delighted to have been randomly assigned the number 78. While my first thought was of the year 1978, I abandoned that in favor of focusing on the number of RPMs at which the really old phonograph records spun.
About the Art: This piece is pretty reflective of the stuff that I do: an illustration style rooted in my fondness for the comic arts, a wee bit of visual punning, and a deep interest in music and math (geometry in particular). I have no idea why the image of John Cusack in “Say Anything” appeared, but I decided to have a bit of fun with the fact that well before the all-but-archaic boom box, there was the Victrola. The penny is also a 1978 penny.
The significance of the number: In addition to 78 being the number of revolutions per minute of the super old school records, it dawned on me that 13, itself a very powerful and meaning-rich number, goes into 78 six times. I chose to represent that half-dozen thirteens as the vertices of an octahedron. Although musical time signatures are conceptually closer to fractions, I do rely on the odd-meter 7/8 time signature to capture “78,” lending additional support to the 78 RPM concept.
Materials: paper and card-stock, ink, colored pencil, crayon, pencil, collage.
Size: 5 inches x 8 inches
About the Artist: Dave Bois lives in Oakland, CA.
If you’re curious to find out more information about Dave’s artwork, you can visit his personal blog at id eco supereco. Dave is also a science and news contributor at Tonic.com
Price: This piece is not currently for sale: There are great reasons to purchase Penny Experiment art. If you would like to purchase 78 RPM #78 or other artwork from this 100 Penny Postcard Art series, please email me and I will put you on my list to inform when this series is for sale.
