WHAT’S INSIDE?

“Black Box” was initially conceived to create a series of still images using video synthesis, something not often seen.  Over the course of a year, dozens of images were created but just ten were chosen, each using different techniques.  All throughout the process, the idea of having something to unify the look of each piece was at the forefront.

In psychology, the term “black box” is often used by behaviorists to refer to the inner workings of the mind that cannot quite be quantified.  In airplane crashes, a “black box” (although usually orange) is the data recorder that can maybe explain a deadly chain of events.  After a while it became clear that each piece was coming out of black boxes for me as well: the 1986 Sony Trinitron that I use as my primary “canvas”, the video piles and piles of video gear that I can only begin to understand, and my own mind which I could never hope to understand.  The name stuck.

In terms of the variety of techniques, “Bouquet” and “Susan Anne” were generated autonomously using optical and hardware feedback loops.  “Gyges” and “Prism” are both Lissajous figures (left and right audio signals plotted against each other) from an oscilloscope.  “Eye” is really my eye peering into a camcorder.  The rest are little drawings that I have made that may or may not have significance to me that I proceeded to warp beyond recognition.  On the topic of significance, many of the pieces have names relating to Greek myths and legends.  I would often look through the pieces that I was making and realize that themes from these stories were bubbling up in them, so that is how they got their names. 

Prints are available! Contact me for details.