Bio Mixes Moments
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 ProcesS

Ep 1 / Produced by The WolfCastle / Dean McColl

Ep 2 / Produced by The WolfCastle / Dean McColl

 
 
 

"Things snowball quickly in NYC and just like David Terranova I’d been following Dill’s work since I met him at Burning Man 2010 and he took my favourite photos of me and my friends there. Dill is the original photographer for Robot Heart the ever famous party bus at BM. After hanging out again at BM in 2013 I ended up shooting for one of NYC’s biggest best parties called The Cityfox Experience. I ran into Dill there and after chatting he told be about a new project he wanted to capture and obviously I wanted to be part of it. Brother Dill is one of those super positive vibes people that becomes a legend whereever and whoever he comes in contact with. So again it was epic to be immersed into the world of John Dill. It was a trip.” - Dean McColl

 
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Photos by The WolfCastle / Dean McColl

 
 

"I'd been following Dill's work for many years, he is THE Burning Man photography as far as I'm concerned. So when I got to meet Dill when I moved to New York in 2013 it was a trip to tell him what an inspiration he had been on my photography. It's also funny because I got to show him the photo from Burning Man 2010 where Dill came and asked if he could leave his camera with my friends and I while he went off and had a dance. He came back too one of the most epic shots and left - so technically we met before we really met. At lunch Dill started telling me about a project he wanted to start right away where he wanted to recreate the insane visual experience he went through in Bali when his retina ripped open while he was taking photos of a model, he then explained he would love someone to document the process and if I'd be interested. Are you kidding me?? It was a dream come true. So here are the photos from that incredible time with one of my idols" - Dean McColl

 
 
 
 

JOURNEY TO THE DOTS...

"Waves are crashing, sun is transforming and all of a sudden hundreds of black dots filled the sky. That was the moment my retina decided it was going to let loose. It was quite beautiful and poetic… the universe gave me a visual gift." - March 10, 2013

Mid April - Singapore - (After my 2nd surgery) While pouring vinegar into some oil at an Italian joint I had a flashback to that moment on the beach when my blood mixed with my eye fluid.  It was so vivid! This is moment I came up with how to recreate these "dots" and use them with the photos I was taking the moment my retina tore. I decided then to create these visuals and started to plot the dots.

 
 
A mock up I did once I was able to use my computer. May 2013

A mock up I did once I was able to use my computer. May 2013

vinegar and oil, Singapore April 2013

vinegar and oil, Singapore April 2013

 
 

Over the last few weeks, I have been walking the streets seeking materials from plastic suppliers, art stores, photo stores, to hardware stores, etc.   My first order of business was to create a container that would house the fluids and allow me to photograph what what I see. I decided on a white plexi bin to show contrast for the black dots, and so that I could illuminate it to become a light box.

 
 
White plexi bin sketch , got this made at Canal Plastics.

White plexi bin sketch , got this made at Canal Plastics.

Picking up the bin!  (Photo by The WolfCastle / Dean McColl)

Picking up the bin!  (Photo by The WolfCastle / Dean McColl)

 
 

design of the logo

November 6, 2013

As I dive into my art project, all the logistics start swooshing around in my head. I've decided to do a series of shows. The first show is on Friday Dec 13. The series is called “In Search of Sight”.  There will be capsule shows that capture a certain aspect of my optical journey. The designer side of me kicked into gear and I came up with a logo/mark.  Have a peep at my process:

1. As many of you know I've been bombing these dill stickers since WMC 2007. It started as a joke, but  ended up being a fun mark to leave as I traveled and met people). While there retina was detaching in my left eye I saw lighting images in that eye at night. Since I have a bolt on the sticker in the same eye I found it very ironic and iconic. So when I was thinking about a mark for in Search of Sight I felt the bolt must be incorporated.

 
 
Johnny Dill Sticker, conceived in 2007

Johnny Dill Sticker, conceived in 2007

 
 

2. Here are my first drafts and an image I saw the day after I worked on them.  I must have been channeling my late teen days of rocking out to Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder voice popped in my head and said “try again”.

 
 
First draft vs. Pearl Jam.

First draft vs. Pearl Jam.

 
 

3. The next few days I was thinking about ideas, but nothing. One night I was telling my optical journey to a new friend. How I came about the circle square glasses and thought “that’s it”! These glasses were a comical moment for me and depicted how I felt visually.

 
 
HK Special (Sadly I lost them in SF 2015)

HK Special (Sadly I lost them in SF 2015)

 
 

4. While I was working on the next draft, a cracked Ying Yang photo I took in Bali kept popping up in my head. To me this image represented a crack in my good eye, thus balancing my eyes in some strange way. While recovering in Singapore I looked at this image numerous times, and again thought it was ironic that I captured it.

 
 
Balance ?

Balance ?

 
 

5. Here is the final design. I wanted to come up with an iconic mark that had a bit of all the above mixed in the concept. Then it was time to add the text , I was not happy with any of my 12 attempts, however number 13 was the magic number yet again. I decided to follow the simple is better rule - with an eye chart touch.  

 
 
final logo

final logo