The Idea of Play

During my residency here in Chicago at SAIC, I’ve been focusing on “play.” I’ve been trying to play more with different mediums, various concepts in 3D, and workflows. I recently gave welding a try in the metal shop last week.

This idea of play has given me the opportunity to enjoy the process of making art more. I don’t necessarily have deadlines to adhere to, but I’m still making an effort to create as much as possible while I’m here. At this moment, I have about a week and a half left until I return to Tennessee. My goal is to keep playing with different concepts and to have a direction to continue on once I leave Chicago.

I’m including a gallery of the work I’ve been doing in my studio; not all of these images represent finalized work. Some are the beginnings of ideas and some are examples of play. It is a series I’ve been working on; I’ve used digital and physical to explore shapes and space.

Interview with a Fellow Artist

In the studio with John

I recently had the privilege to interview the artist, John Saenz. We spoke in his studio and talked about his practice as well as his current projects.

Listen to the interview through the audio below. There is also a transcript available for reading.

The Process

I would like to think my process has become more refined since my undergraduate college days of staying up all night and working until the sun came up, but I still find the best times to work are really late or super early. My emails and notifications aren’t pinging; I’m not going back and forth between meetings. I can focus. Bouncing back and forth between tasks isn’t viable for me. I get stuck in an endless loop of opening up different software and files or making sure my zoom camera is working.

So what does my process look like in the studio? I’ve had to transition to a different space and different hours while in school at SAIC for the summer. The buildings close at 10 and I need to squeeze in class and work during the open hours. I take the train into the city and write down ideas in my phone. Those notes, if worthy, become sketches. Having only 6 weeks in Chicago, I’ve made a priority list of ideas to better focus on things I don’t have resources for back in Johnson City, but I have here.  From sketches, I start to create what I call prototypes. I mock my ideas up with paper or in software so I can better visualize what is working and what isn’t working. Within this, I’m researching the elements of my idea and getting outside thoughts. Software and techniques are ever evolving in the digital realm and I look towards other artists for inspiration.

From then on, I’m iterating on my idea and the piece. Some things that help bring me back into that late night/early morning focused headspace are putting on my headphones, listening to a podcast, putting my phone on “focus,” and drinking a Sprite Zero (the best).

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I’m currently working on some projection based pieces, one of which I’ve had on my mind for the past couple of years. Being inspire by zoetropes, I wanted to create something that combines a physical element and the digital. The timing of the animation hinges on the motion of the physical piece. I began by sketching different forms on paper. These sketches turned into paper models which I then mocked this up in the software, Cinema 4D. In the 3D software, I added animation and lights to better visualize and simulate the motion of the piece. The software also helped me play with the positioning of some of the elements such as the cutouts. I’m not sure if this piece will come into fruition during the second half of the summer semester here in Chicago or if it ever will; I’m more focused on “playing” with what it could be.

I want to experiment in my process and see how I can incorporate digital with other materials such as metal. Being outside of my home studio and among resources such as a metal shop and wood shop has made me more curious in what I can add to my process.

Zoetrope Prototype

This is a screenshot of my project in Cinema 4D.