Signal Void
2014-2017
This body of work is a more focused continuation of issues surrounding the region of the US known as the Rust Belt. This focus comes from my roots in the region along with my current separation from it. Being away has allowed me the opportunity to come at my subject matter from a different perspective with the ability to see it anew. This new insight has started to emerge as a suite of prints exploring empty signage. These empty, disregarded, and most often degraded signs act as visual indicators of the economic distress that has plagued the Rust Belt since the collapse of the steel industry in the 70’s and 80’s. This research and documentation has formulated itself in my current suite of prints I've titled Signal Void.
The idea behind Signal Void is an interpretation of how these empty signs express themselves. These large structures are foremost noticeable and striking. The signs are meant to be a universal analogy for the mark of time in their settings. They are a salient gesture toward their own vacancy and uselessness. In a society known for an over-saturation of advertisement, the idea of an empty vestige transform it into an object of allure; a readymade. The emptiness provides a visual framework for the world around it or a moment of rest within its blankness attempting to sell me nothing. The message is null.
The ideas of emptiness I'm attaching to these objects are in direct contrast to their original intent. A sign is very specifically designed to gain attention. It is placed in ways to be noticed amidst its environment. The reversal that has occurred with these signs, I find intriguing in their irony and dichotomous existence. These dualities can be seen as; an intention for progress but ending in defeat, the desire for development but finding disappointment, and what was once change is now nostalgia. What I see about them is their mark upon the environment acting as a narrative of history. The richness of which I read into the signs are ever changing and growing the more I explore them through my work.
As much as I am dedicated to this work there is still more for me to understand and discover. The act of creating each print reveals more intension and clarity of the concepts. That is why Signal Void has evolved to be a suite of prints. It allows me to work with the same ideas in similar fashions and with each new piece my understanding is constantly developing.
In the exploration of my ideas I have chosen a dual approach of printmaking and photographic practices. Conceptually combining these skills helps me provide a sense of memory, experience, and emotion into the work. Through the transformative effects of digital manipulation coupled with the alterations that occur through hand printing; I find the subversion of the photograph disturbs the appearance of reality. This subversion is meant to show my intent in each piece to emphasize the allure of the signs and show their mark on their surroundings. I find the signs to be interesting objects of quiet contemplation and visually establishing a sense of isolation and abandonment reinforces the objectivity of the signs along with the emptiness they feature.
The idea behind Signal Void is an interpretation of how these empty signs express themselves. These large structures are foremost noticeable and striking. The signs are meant to be a universal analogy for the mark of time in their settings. They are a salient gesture toward their own vacancy and uselessness. In a society known for an over-saturation of advertisement, the idea of an empty vestige transform it into an object of allure; a readymade. The emptiness provides a visual framework for the world around it or a moment of rest within its blankness attempting to sell me nothing. The message is null.
The ideas of emptiness I'm attaching to these objects are in direct contrast to their original intent. A sign is very specifically designed to gain attention. It is placed in ways to be noticed amidst its environment. The reversal that has occurred with these signs, I find intriguing in their irony and dichotomous existence. These dualities can be seen as; an intention for progress but ending in defeat, the desire for development but finding disappointment, and what was once change is now nostalgia. What I see about them is their mark upon the environment acting as a narrative of history. The richness of which I read into the signs are ever changing and growing the more I explore them through my work.
As much as I am dedicated to this work there is still more for me to understand and discover. The act of creating each print reveals more intension and clarity of the concepts. That is why Signal Void has evolved to be a suite of prints. It allows me to work with the same ideas in similar fashions and with each new piece my understanding is constantly developing.
In the exploration of my ideas I have chosen a dual approach of printmaking and photographic practices. Conceptually combining these skills helps me provide a sense of memory, experience, and emotion into the work. Through the transformative effects of digital manipulation coupled with the alterations that occur through hand printing; I find the subversion of the photograph disturbs the appearance of reality. This subversion is meant to show my intent in each piece to emphasize the allure of the signs and show their mark on their surroundings. I find the signs to be interesting objects of quiet contemplation and visually establishing a sense of isolation and abandonment reinforces the objectivity of the signs along with the emptiness they feature.