Science fiction texts are often awarded a kind of validity when they display a significant amount of fictional science. The easiest binary here is between the unbridled Joseph Campbell fantasia of Star Wars and the overabundance of social theory and made-up tech-speak that qualifies the Star Trek universe. The anthropological bent of much of Ursula K. Le Guin's science fiction landed her accolades as a feminist and social theorist. Werner Herzog plays with the tacit authority of such scientific language by misquoting Pascal and interviewing theoretical mathematicians in his documentary-style sci-fi films Lessons of Darkness (1992) and The Wild Blue Yonder (2006). Likewise, Los Angeles-based artist Brian O'Dell's photographs, dioramas and sketches of complex alien life-forms in Progeny of the Preform: Special Theories of Emergence extend beyond the comparisons to special-effects modeling work that they encourage through the extensive pseudo-biological field notes that accompany the images.
O'Dell's diorama photographs are both graceful and grotesque. Metallic microorganisms that look something like Brita water filter components designed by Nikola Tesla clamber over dense tangles of microtubules under harsh blue lighting. The corresponding notes indicate that these are symbiotically involved with the organisms that are the focus of Progeny of the Preform: the cyanominoids. These models are lumpy forms, withered and fleshy fetus-looking things. Close-up shots of the cyanominoid's "umbilical mouths" and the revelation that they store water in their legs further illuminates the level of detail that O'Dell has given to their genesis.
Tracking the evolution of his own vision with the detached wonder of an enthusiastic field biologist, O'Dell plays both God and scientist at once. The result is a loop of self-validation, where imaginary realms attempt to confirm their own reality by way of scientific jargon and the organization of the fantastic into biological data.
brian o'dell is a visionary artist who possesses an unending and constantly evolving talent. he is also one of the most amazing human beings you will ever meet. total package.
Ursula K. LeGuin changed my life. I built a tesseract out of popsicle sticks in second grade, they put me in with the smart kids, and I never had time to build a tesseract again... xoSND
