Association for Visual Arts | Fragmented Realities: An Algorithmic Lens

 I view art as an expression of our current political, social, and ecological landscape. Technology has become integral to political and social power throughout the world and also impacts nature in various ways. The paradox of the vast and interconnected internet is that we are frequently exposed to curated slices of reality. Michael Shermer (2011) uses the term “patternicity” to describe how our brains search for patterns based on limited, and often erroneous, information. As these patterns explain our experience, they easily translate into beliefs. Algorithms determine how social media content is filtered, ranked, selected, and recommended. They create a tight channel of content consumption that reinforces fixed beliefs. This exhibition seeks to spark dialogue about the influence of algorithm on our perceptions and beliefs. In the same way that the valves of the heart regulate blood flow through our bodies, algorithms control the flow of information, influencing what we see and how we feel.

The work is inspired by the French philosopher Bruno Latour’s (2020) “Critical Zones.” An interdisciplinary advocate, Latour offers a reimagination of humanity’s relationship with Earth. Instead of attempting to grasp the vastness of nature, Latour advocates for a limited band of earth within which the complexity of all life exists. Acknowledgment of the complex and fragile nature of this thin layer inside which all life forms coexist means that we cannot endlessly extract resources and discard our waste. Algorithms filter our experience and confine us to echo chambers that limit our understanding of this essential complexity.

The interconnection between humans, plants, and animals informs my work and resonates with the framework offered by Latour. I use mixed media to explore the conditions that embrace complexity, as well as the conditions that restrict it. Art- making invites us into reverie, imagination, and community. It frees us from the manipulation of life within the algorithm and reveals what is comforting, unsettling, and possible within our world. Natural substances within an alchemical process are used to activate the copper so that I have no control over the outcome and remain open to what emerges. The hardness of copper, mined from the earth and used extensively in technology, is juxtaposed with soft, hand-stitched fabric. Other materials include cyanotype; oil paint; brass; glass and paper.

This show runs from 27 February - 27 May 2025.