Digital DreamScapes (Not the official Title of the series)

These prints may end up not going anywhere as I do not like to work aesthetically any more. There are some conceptual puzzles I am working with in these, but they are, as of yet, unresolved. When and if they ever do, I will officially welcome these prints into my official practice. but for now, they are just fun images to make and shoot!

End of Semester Crit

Though I have not posted any of my new work from the past couple of months, here are some shots from my end of semester crit that give an idea of what I have been doing. As previously seen, my work is still program generated for the most part.

Stay tuned for more posts over the holidays.

Prix Albert-Dumouchel Vernisage

So my first post in months shows me with my son, sister, partner at the vernissage for the Prix Albert-Dumouchel, a print competition here in Quebec. The show itself had a few interesting pieces and but on the whole was not overly impressive.

The winning Entry was pretty interesting as it dealt with themes that I am interested in as well - notably language, identity and relations. Though if I had to vote on a winning piece I might very well have chosen the same one, I still find it strange that one of the three judges was a the print director at UQAM and the two winners were from there. Seems to me to lack a certain ethic and most likely a conflict of interest but on the whole I do not care much for competitions. I need them for the CV but these are rarely a proof of superiority, just taste. Winning would not have proven me better and losing does not prove me worse.

Still a fun time was had and I was proud to have introduced my Son Lukas to his first vernisage. Hopefully, he will get many opportunities to accompany me in the future.

Awards

Though, I don't have any new work to show right now, I do have some news pertaining to my education. 

The first piece of good news is that I have been awarded the prestigious Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) for 2009-10. This alone will make my next year a really interesting one as I will be able to concentrate on my studies and not have to worry about working.

Also, I have just found out that I have been awarded the Yves Gaucher Prize in Studio Arts from Concordia University for 2009. 

So, all-in-all, I am having a pretty good week.

Untitled Landscape #2

Here is my last offset litho of my undergrad degree. 

For this one I tried to work with subdued colors and include (a barely noticeable) white layer on tan/grey paper. Overall I like the quality of the print even though it does not stand out like the previous colored ones. The white is subtle but it does make a difference. 

At least I finally learned how to print clean with the plates. On the last official day of my undergrad degree i finally realized what I was doing wrong on the press.

I have yet to name this piece so for now we will call it "Untitled Landscape #2".

And one more time

Conspiring

Here is one (at a slightly higher pixel resolution) of brutus and a gang of senators conspiring to kill Julius Caesar.

Brutus

Continuing with my digital TV watching machine, as well, as with HBO's Rome, Here are two versions of Brutus, right before he plunges his dagger to finish off Julius Ceasar.

These tewo images use the same algorithms as the death of Ceasar (seen in my last post below.)

Watching TV Digitaly!

My latest attempt at digital printmaking has me revisiting the Pixelography project but with a newly programed version. 

After realizing the limitations with Max/msp I have recreated the pixel capture program in Java and have included a few new algorithms for how the pixels capture and draw the images. 

As well, instead of feeding the video directly into the program, this time around, I am watching the films through a video camera pointed at the tv. Basically, I have created a "subjective" viewer that just happens to be a digital device. And this particular viewer was watching the death of Julius Ceasar from the HBO tv show Rome. 

I have included here two versions of the capture, one with the same linear algorithm as my last Full Metal Jacket series, and one with my new k*counter%arrayLength algorithm. Though both very simple the perceived image speaks volumes about the role the perceiver has in creating the object viewed.

Ashenvale Bridge

Here are some shots of my newest Video Game landscape done on the the Vandercook press with polymer plate. 

Though I had some major problems exposing the plates I am fairly happy with the resulting print.