While the world watched is an immersive installation that attempts to bring attention to the continued gun crisis in America, the way the news sensationalizes it and the lack of action taken to prevent it. Imagery and audio of news reports from these events, mixed with statistical grim reminders of the loss craft the message that the passiveness of the viewer and society are part of the problem we can all help to avert.
Week 1
Tristan likes to call himself an artist, a storyteller and an idea maker. In truth he is a combination of the three, trying to find a sense of direction for his craft. Tristan loves to tinker and try new things ranging from animation to fabrication while always pushing himself to learn more. Arduino coding and circuitry have recently become his greatest areas of interest and he hopes to take these skills into the future and incorporate them into more and more interactive artworks. Currently, Tristan is enrolled in New Media at Ryerson University and is doing a study abroad exchange at NTU for Interactive Media. Learning different approaches to art from individuals and cultures from around the world is something Tristan thinks is crucial to his artistic journey. Outside of art, Tristan loves to read, ride his bike and play video games with his friends. His dream is to make an impact on the developing art scene in Toronto.
Example of Work:
This is a piece I made as a homage to Vaporware, which is an outdated aesthetic popularized in the early 90s during the rise of the computer era. Vaporwave is now often seen as ugly and harsh but when it was first created was seen as a beautiful new turn in computerized graphics. This piece plays with the idea of old aesthetics being repurposed in a modern light and potentially regaining some of their statuses.
Inspiration:
This piece was partially influenced by the quite uncomfortable piece “MAINSQUEEZE”, created by artist John Rafman.
View discretion is advised: https://vimeo.com/jonrafman/review/100324610/3e511de46c
When I first saw Main Squeeze in a gallery it was displayed inside a small box where the user was seated in a comfortable chair with a pillow, the monitor about a foot from your face and absolute darkness around you. The experience felt like I was hiding away in shame watching a video that was never meant to see the light of day; upon viewing out of the box that is almost the case. This sense of having a video which was so un-aesthetically pleasing yet so powerful, making me feel like I was hiding away while watching it; made me wonder how I could evoke the same sort of feelings mainly out of visual context and not purely out of aesthetic value. My piece goes nowhere near the territory Rafman’s touched but it borrowed that idea in its initial creation.
Resume
