Artist Statement

Abstract

My artwork sits at the juncture between the physical and the artificial or digital, which includes the interplay between images, sounds, algorithms, and data. I use the Internet as a primary platform to exhibit my work, such as in virtual 3D environments where different ideas are expanded beyond what is possible in the physical world. Commissions and residencies have enabled me to create physical renderings of my digital art for public engagement.I push the boundaries of what is human art and explore what I refer to as “techno-vernacular creativity,” or TVC. TVC taps into the natural DIY inclinations of creative people as well as the educational power of inventing or making things using technology. This includes exploring the emergence of computation as a creative medium rather than as just a set of tools, suggesting a growing correspondence between the digital realm and traditional art.I often collaborate with artificial intelligence (AI), specifically through neural-image-style transfer, which synthesizes images and patterns to create new aesthetic vocabulary beyond the scope of human thought. The resulting images open new frontiers of artistic expression while posing moral and ethical questions about future uses of AI.To create AI art I use source images such as personal and stock photos and still images from archival film. The combination of technologically advanced tools, source images used as media, and the final effect with a variety of styles offers interesting contrasts. Many of the images do not seem to belong to the sphere of the virtual, as they often refer to the culture of the handmade, yet these worlds are brought together in a delicate and poetic dialogue because of the AI process.The commission at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building in Washington, DC, challenged me to think about AI art as a reflection of speculative future worlds. I created images for eleven totems that will be on view throughout the FUTURES exhibition that will open in November 2021. The totems reflect the special occasion and iconic setting and will beguile visitors with a glimpse into a physical space in which digital art can be at the forefront of effecting lasting and positive change.