About the Artist

John Keppleman has

played many roles over the years. He has been a commission based sculptor (exactly how Garapata came to be), a teacher of 14 years at Western Washington University, and a realist painter. Currently, his projects are more on the side of paintings that take on the theme of mortality through depictions of the mundane. He has worked on more abstract paintings over the years, and in the 70s and 80s he created a whole series of abstract sculptures made mostly of aluminum. The sculptures are very whimsical and geometric, and fit into the decade they were created in.

The culture and state of the art world was perfect for pieces like this and likely was hugely influential on his decision to do the piece; the abs

tract art community was booming. Though he didn’t specify influences of the period (he did relate it to a place, however), his generally whimsical intentions for the piece are in stark contrast to the serious nature of the period it was made in.

John Keppelman – Garapata

Music:  Train of Thought and Bounce by Daniel Jones

Created by Quinlan Hecker, Daniel Jones, and Tristan Bedell

Artist’s Statement:

by Daniel Jones, Quinlan Hecker, and Tristan Bedell

Our video and music compositions are an artistic, audio-visual response to the Garapata sculpture. Much of the photography and videography attempts to capture a variety of angles of the sculpture as well as the environment in which it was placed. The music was written based on these images, and our hope is that it enhances thought processes about the Garapata piece. The music and visuals were combined with great intentionality. The sound of raindrops at the beginning of the video are to establish the setting of the sculpture in the rainy Northwest. The images were timed with the music to make for a more entertaining viewing experience.

Our audio-visual format for interpretation came with various complications. One such complication was timing images with music, which took plenty of time and effort. Similarly challenging was recording and mixing the music in a fluid and audibly pleasing manner.

The intent of our response was to bring the viewer into the site of the sculpture and see it as though they were there, establishing the importance of the environment. The background piano music was also necessary for this sense of immersion. It was designed with Pacific Northwest weather end environments in mind. Great emphasis was placed on the reflective attributes of the piece and its inherent beauty. The majority of images were captured in early morning prior to the sun coming up in order to introduce a time at which most people have not seen the sculpture. This is also when the pathway lamps are still on and can be seen in the reflection of Garapata.