'The CreatorsProject interview
Can you tell us
about the process of creating your charcoal drawings? (e.g. using digital
modelling to create prototypes…)
No problem, my latest body of work began as a
simulation of a non-existent surveillance structure. The structure is loosely
based on a variety of observation towers (Panopticon’s, fire lookout’s and
tsunami observation towers) that were in a position of possible destruction. I
began by visualising this devastated structure using a variety of 3D
software’s, usually reserved for special effects for Films or other forms of
Interactive entertainment. From here I have rendered the digital images from
the screen using my hand, charcoal and paper.
While some
artists might start with a pen and paper sketch and then translate this onto
the screen, you tend to do things the other way round. Why do you choose this
method?
I really like to idea of subversion, and in the case
of my art practice I have enjoyed subverting the role of computer graphics to
act as an initial sketch, or a place for conjuring, rather than a place
reserved for refined final product. Translating these images into charcoal
drawing allows me intimate contact and control over the final output and revel
in the inadequacies of the human touch. In short it’s a kind of ‘Stone age
approach in a meeting with technological innovation’.
How do you use
3D printing and other technologies?
I use the
technologies primarily as tool for realising my ideas. I have been using these
technologies for nearly twenty years now, so they are ingrained in my creative
process.
You’re also a
deep sea diver. Does this hobby have any influence on your art practice?
I do think that our experiences ultimately affect who
we are and what we make, and as an artist mine have inadvertently affected me
without a doubt. I do spend a ridiculous amount of time in the ocean, surfing,
diving, and generally farting around. This obsession has taken me to Mexico,
Indonesia, Hawaii, Fiji, Philippines, California and a huge amount of the
Australian coast. This addiction is a muse, especially its abundant force above
and feeling of gravity below.
What about
special effects, do they come into play in your work?
The special effect technologies allow me to collapse,
smash, break, and rupture at a fraction of the cost. Computer Graphics allows
so many wonderful freedoms for me to play, not unlike building a sand castle
and stomping it – which we all know is the best part. I am going back to
Indonesia in a few months to build the observation tower ‘life size’ on the
coastline where the tsunamis have made themselves known.
What interests
you about scenes of destruction?
I find the
duality in interpreting ‘destruction’ quietly amusing. What I mean by this is;
on one hand it could be seen as metaphor for the ending of an old system, and
in the other hand, an example of the exciting possibilities of new beginnings.
Is your view on
technology ultimately optimistic or pessimistic?
I am leaning toward the pessimistic side, in relation to
the long-term consequences of technology on culture, especially in terms of
media control, politics and the rampant narcissism in social media. I am
optimistic however, that with a controlled and measured investment, technology can
continue to be a servant to us, so long as we heed the advice of the many great
science fiction writers and avoid the machine rising above us.
