What is the thread that runs through the very first pieces of art you created and the work you’ve created for the Diamond Exhibition?
A study of deeply nested fractal noise appears in a number of my works as a textural tool. From early exploration in Rust, evolution through Terraform and Terroir, and finally repurposing in Act of Emotion and now StackSlash, there’s a deeply organic touch that this technique provides. It’s hard to control, and difficult to fine-tune, however the range of potential outcomes is remarkable.
What do you enjoy the most about your art and, specifically, the work you’ve put out in the Diamond Exhibition?
I find the charisma of physically arranged forms quite striking. Wonky and out-of-place, they feel natural and effortless, like objects from the tangible world. I come back to this simulation-for-composition approach again and again, it has really captured my interest.
With StackSlash, I like how convincing the faux refractive, glass-like effect appears. While fundamentally very naive from a mathematical perspective, smoke-and-mirrors approaches like this present something digitally analogous to traditional painting in my mind: communicating the appearance of a material through color and light and texture.
What do you hope people seeing your work for the Diamond Exhibition will take away?
I hope the audience finds joy in interacting with the system: throwing objects around, building structures, and exploring the depths of the texture.
Ultimately too, I hope that the concept behind the work makes them consider the environmental impacts of our extractive tendencies.
What impact, if any, has the NFT community had on your artistic approach? Is there anything you are able to do now that you weren’t able to do before?
The NFT community has enabled me to focus my time on my practice! Even in my current chapter, where time is an especially precious and limited resource, I’m spending more time than ever on this work. I’m very grateful for the ability to do so.
Collectors expectations guide some interesting and unexpected new goals for my work too. An example: a preference for immediate static rendering of work. I love animated and interactive art, and so I continue to include that in my work; but I’ve started providing this in 2 steps: Firstly a deterministic and immediate render of the “piece”, followed by effortless interaction and animation for those who wish to dive a bit deeper.
What’s next for you and your art? What are you excited about for the rest of the year?
I have a popup show in my local community later in the year! I’m so excited to teach more people here about generative and code-based art, a relatively oblique concept for many traditional art appreciators in New Zealand.
Additionally, I have a couple of non-NFT-based passion projects I hope to roll out this year, keep an eye on my Twitter!
