Jake Ollinger

My work examines perpetual adolescence as it manifests in Pop Culture. It draws from aspects of Pop Culture that are obsessed with the hero story, the trials of which parallel the trials of growing up. In Campbellian terms, these stories are more obsessed with the "trials" part of the story, and less with the "return." The engaging part of any story is the battle, the fight, the struggle, and the areas of Pop Culture that I investigate and pull from-namely comic books, video games, action movies, and cartoons-are all as obsessed with the battle as the fans who actively engage these works. There is a Zeitgeist happening where the "Boy-Men," through reflexive anti-reflexivity, are extending their youth into a new idea of what it means to be grown up, where play, humor, and wit have a higher place than more serious pursuits.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

Multi Media Installation

Graduate Thesis Show

Snite Museum of Art

University of Notre Dame

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot (Weapons Rack)

Included in shot: Hammernaut Tenderizer 5000, Lil' Sluggertron 5000, Lightknife, B.H.J., Lightsaber Crate, Popocalyptic detritus

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

Included in Shot: M.P.B.F.G. 5000 (Supercharged Minigun Pistol with Lightsaber Ammo) redesign poster, several Powerfist App designs, Atom Boy Mecha Go-Go, Hammernaut, and Lightknife schematics

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

Atom Boy's Command Center can be seen as both a resting place for Atom Boy, his base of operations, and his workshop. Atom Boy spends his days requisitioning supplies from the Popocalyptic environs, as well as pwning noobz, and it is at his diagnostic workbench that he assembles this Popocalyptic detritus into awesome equipmunkz.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

The monitors of the console expound upon the story of Atom Boy and the Popocalypse. The center monitor plays 4 videos on a loop: Intro Trailer, Tokusetsu Kaiju Battle (B Roll), Disthrashterpiece Music Video, and Hammer Time. The right monitor displays security footage of the exterior surrounding the AtomFort, while the left monitor is broken.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

This shot shows off the underneath of the Command Console, more screens, stacked computers, etc.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

I imagined Atom Boy's Command Center to more closely resemble Mad Max, Brazil, and Star Wars (think of interior shots of the Millenium Falcon with all the extraneous wires and tubes), than the more tidy and organized style of Batman. Atom Boy is definitely more anti-hero than Batman, and no apocalyptic environ is correct without lots of random crap lying around.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

I feel it's a rampant stereotype in apocalyptic films to have some type of vehicle either a) being used throughout the film, b) under repairs somewhere in the background, or c) all of the above. As it happens the AtomKart is undergoing modifications in the Disthrashterpiece Installation, while it can also be seen driving around in the Disthrashterpiece music video.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

The AtomSuit is comprised of a powerfist, Jetpack, assorted belts and red Converse Battle Bootz. The Boomtubez produce the boom, aka all the music that goes along with the videos playing on the central monitor of the Command Console.

This is a shot from the opposite wall from the entrance to the work, and shows how the installation resides in the space.

Disthrashterpiece installation Shot

This shot shows some behind the scenes action, particularly the broken strut laying on the ground, excessive hosage, as well as the gross orange filing cabinet that must contain important files of Atom Boys, obvi.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

This shot shows the hidden guts of the command console, just sort of lazily exposed and hanging out, taped together enough to get the job done, although what that job is nobody knows.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

Wings, Nupwnitronium Armor plating, extra wheels, cannon parts, etc., for repairing/ modifying/ upgrading the AtomKart.

Disthrashterpiece Installation Shot

This shot shows how we get the Boom from the Boomtubez, as well as how carefully Atom Boy takes care of his Suit while not in use.

This is the Intro Trailer to Atom Boy/ the Popocalypse, in the style of The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailers. I wanted to show off the character of Atom Boy, and have limited audio and a subtle background track to add intrigue without giving too much away.

Atom Boy is Played by Jake Ollinger

Video Credits: James Bellucci

Voiceovers: Jake Ollinger

Muscial Score: Marshall Mears/Kawaii Noir

This video is of a fight scene between Atom Boy Mecha Go-Go and a Giant Noob (Literally, he is very big). The style of the video was inspired by the Tokusetsu special effects of Power Rangers, with the grow sequences in the beginning, the staged, slow moving, stylized fighting of the characters, lots of sparks, and the slightly obnoxious, simplified and repeated Power Rangers theme playing throughout. The whole video is shot on a green screen with foam rocks in the foreground, implying either a), the entire Popocalypse just looks like a bunch of green screen sets with bad props, or b) by saying B Roll in the title, there is still some editing to be done on the video. Aka, lotta 4th wall play.

Video Credits: james Bellucci/Jake Ollinger

Special Effects: Ben Sunderlin/Kate Seprish/Nathan Smith/Troy Aiken

Lead Noob: Wiley Green

Musical Score: Lucas Korte/Lightknife

This is the music video for the theme song of Atom Boy, Entitled Disthrashterpiece (Atom Boy, Saviour of the Popocalypse). It was shot with heavy metal music videos in general as well as music videos released with action movies in mind, with lots of random band shots and driving around in vehicles, because that's what's cool. Lil' Sluggertron 5000 and the AtomKart make their debuts in this video.

Atom Boy Played by Jake Ollinger

Video Credits: James Bellucci/Joseph Cruz

Music Credits: Lucas Corte/Atom Boy/Lightknife

I spent a semester constructing the Hammernaut Tenderizer 5000 and the Lil' Sluggertron 5000, so one of the two was definitely getting it's own video. Hence Hammer Time, cuz duh. The music in the background is a cover of a Megaman Boss Fight Song, with lots of gratuitous hammer footage.

Video Credits: James Bellucci/Jake Ollinger

Muscial Score: Lucas Korte/Lightknife