90 Miles

90 Miles is a post-photography, AI reporting illustration experiment by MCB (@punk4803), curated by Blockbird (@_blockbird), exploring historical events and realities of Cuban life that have, since 1961, motivated Cubans to cross the 90 miles of ocean separating Havana from Florida.

For over 25 years, I kept a list of subjects to document but was unable to, mainly due to access or that access was impossible. While working in Cuba from 2014-2016, more subjects were added to the list with the assumption they would likely never be created.

Since 1961, not long after Fidel Castro came to power and after the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, every year thousands of Cubans cross the 90 miles of ocean that separates Havana from Florida. 

In 2022, Cuba experienced its largest exodus since the 1980s due to an ongoing economic crisis, with soaring inflation alongside shortages of food and medicine.

The Cubans who attempt the crossing are incredibly resourceful, as necessary to the journey and as reflected in the rafts and boats often assembled from tires, random pieces of wood and plastic, household supplies, etc. 



Life at Sea

The Great Wave off Kanagawa has always been a massive inspiration of mine. This piece pays homage to Hokusai the Japanese artist who created a piece of art history.



The Great Hokusai

Echoes of the Infinite

"Echoes of the Infinite" is a generative artwork created through the use of Javascript code. The composition consists of a series of geometric shapes and lines arranged in a semi-random pattern. Randomness creates an organic and unpredictable quality. The contrasting colors and shapes create a dynamic image that suggests a cosmic and expansive theme. The title, "Echoes of the Infinite", invites the viewer to contemplate the infinite possibilities and beauty of the universe.

Aikebana N124  OE  

'Aikebana' is an ongoing project that blends my interest in Ikebana, nature, abstract sculpture, and new technology (Ai). 

Through this project, I intend to uncover novel forms that originate from nature but which have been filtered through our collective memory and finally selected and curated by myself.

I believe by doing so, that I'm able to discover forms that defy categorization and almost have a soul of their own, one that exists somewhere between technology and those who control it.

FROGES

FROGES #157

PhotoFilePhrens Vol.1

PhotoFilePhrens Vol.1 - 70 unique face pareidolia photographs

PhotoFilePhrens #52

Botany: a photographic retrospective

Rose, Instant Photo (polaroid), 1980

SuperNatural

SuperNatural is a catalogue of Fleurs Synthtiques.  Each species is a portrait of an organism that may look familiar but is, in fact, a hybrid created in collaboration with AI, an exploration into a new nature.

SuperNatural.190

Gerbera, Gum Biochromate, 1915

Aphex Vase

Aphex Vase

"Inspired by Paul Nicholson"s beautifully amorphic monogram, the ever ubiquitous Aphex Twin logo.

I imagined what the logo would look like as a Vase housing flowers abstracted by the ambient works of Richard D. James."

David Porte Beckefeld 2023

Future Ecologies : Phalaenopsis Orchid Hybrids

Future Ecologies : Phalaenopsis Orchid Hybrids #3

cut flowers

still life, fig. 26

cut, weave

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physical collage  
.jpg  
2864 x 2348

fig. 26

still life, fig. 8

cut, stick

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physical collage  
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2016 x 3044

fig. 8

still life, fig. 7

cut, weave

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physical collage  
.jpg  
3000 x 2370

fig. 7

still life, fig. 6

chromatic collage, yellow

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digital collage  
.jpg  
3433 x 1958

fig. 6

still life, fig. 5

folded, cut, inset

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physical collage  
.jpg  
2568 x 3036

fig. 5

still life, fig. 4

chromatic collage, pink

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digital collage  
.jpg  
2480 x 3508

fig. 4

still life, fig. 3

cut, weave

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physical collage  
.jpg  
3172 x 2408