Now that the artist statement for the windows series is complete, I wanted to share a bit more candidly about my approach to this series, both now and as it continues. The audio journal I published wherein I spent time talking through my thoughts and ideas as I was composing the statement was very helpful and made it clear to me that there was much to explore–perhaps too much to capture in the artist statement alone. And that’s what brings me here with the hope of giving some more insight into this series and allowing you as the viewer to have a richer experience with each piece and how they connect.
As I’ve mentioned previously, windows is a series within the POST-MODERN body of work. As a component of POST-MODERN, which considers the experience of the human person in the context of the modern era, windows more specifically focuses on the primary means used to communicate between persons–that being windows on screens. That in itself is likely clear, and I hope it wears itself plainly for the viewer. Windows come in different forms today–I consider our apps and devices as all utilizing windows while also being a bit of a window in and of themselves. The focus is really on the breadth of electronic interfaces since it all boils down to one thing: a means of connecting individuals and information in spite of physical location.
The composition of the windows series is very specific–perhaps the most specific of any series in POST-MODERN. The figures are limited to one hue, that being sepia, and beyond that only five other colors are utilized across the series. These are components that will persist–there is not a sense of progression in the windows series, which differentiates it from the other series. I impose this limitation in an effort to hone in on the emotional aspect of these iterations. windows is an emotions-first, concepts-follow series, and by that I mean the emotions need to be the primary agent driving the birth of each iteration and beyond into the composition itself. Likewise I intentionally try to avoid clever symbolism in this series. Some of my earliest notes pertaining to how this series ought to develop focus on this idea–that the series should follow an organic trajectory, to resist narrative in service of the emotion. This is all a bit contrary to the flippancy of the windows we use to communicate, but that’s another intentional aspect. Human beings are at stake and just as I honestly parse my own emotions through this series, I want there to be a sense of sincerity and authenticity through and through in spite of the often fraudulent nature of the online, ‘windows’ world.
By limiting the figures in each iteration to one value, I am attempting to flatten and compress the form, heightening the sense of two-dimensionality. Our windows-reliant communication is woefully lacking in how it effectively translates an individual across space. Human beings are complex, multifaceted creatures with will, intellect, and emotions who cannot fully be experienced without physical reality. Communicating through windows in the online realm is a helpful tool, but it pales in comparison to true social connection. In a society where the online realm dominates, such as I find in our modern era, the multidimensional person is broken down into limited lines and images, and what results from this distillation is what the windows series attempts to capture. I don’t want to belabor the point, and I hope these are not too groundbreaking of revelations for anyone. windows, again, wears many of its ideas on its sleeves, but that certainly doesn’t change a need to acknowledge what is actively being pursued.
From here, I want to make clear the fact that this series doesn’t necessarily offer a solution. I am not producing this series in an effort to solve the problem. The acknowledgment is present and important, but largely exists as the point from which we leap into the effects upon our human persons. At this point, the iterations themselves take shape, and so I think I ought to conclude here. The conceptual overviews published and forthcoming for iterations in the windows series will offer ‘case studies’, so to speak, for the possibilities of the principles I’ve outlined here put into practice. You as the viewer have a grave responsibility–and while I partly say that in jest, there is a bit of truth to it. I encourage you to take into consideration these ideas when viewing the work and see how they become interpreted from iteration to iteration. Certainly the overviews that are piece-specific will also serve to aid this understanding, but it is the time you spend with each piece that will ultimately determine what emotional experience is conveyed.
Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit more about the windows series. I truly hope this offers some insight into these pieces that heightens your viewing experience. To view the current state of the windows series as well as read the artist statement, please visit my website via the following link: windows
Thank you for reading 🙂
Chrilz
