Artist Statement
We find ourselves entering a brave new world of connection and interaction through digital means. As we delve further into this technologically inclined reality, we must grapple with what it means to be an image maker in a world saturated in photographs, with an easier route of access than at any point in history. The image, once thought to be an objective capture of a time and place, is itself a malleable item. Like the early analog days of photography, the code which forms the reconstruction of once-objective captures of a time and place are themselves subject to corruption and change, and at such a large scale as to make us question the role of the producer outright, drowned in a sea of content incalculably large and growing ever larger each passing day, at an ever increasing rate.
The Art Machine seeks to inspire conversation about the nature of art and its creation in today’s world, presenting the wealth of human image archives to the gallery setting in an existentially thought-provoking way. The search terms, undisclosed to the viewer, sift through one of the largest search engines on the planet, followed shortly by an automated editing process before presenting the result to the viewer for artistic critique. What does it mean to create and store an image? What does it mean to be an artist in a world with an overwhelming wealth of accessible content? This piece presents a very literal expression of my own fears, allowing the viewer to engage in conversation and meditation by confronting a dystopian portrait of contemporary visual culture.
