Tobey Sharp Studio

 I wanted a simple, straightforward, and fun project that I could learn a set of skills from, and also while following my throughline of thought. I landed on engraving a mirror with the image of a motherboard, one that has the visage of Jesus front and center. The thought process behind the piece was not complex, I started the semester with an exploration into the interwoven connection that is inherent between life and unlife. Beginning with a completely abstract collage that loosely explored the aesthetic of that idea. I moved on to a more representational approach as it became apparent that to get my ideas across conventionally I would need to do so. Similarly I have incorporated the fringes of religious iconography into my work. I’ve never felt like I could claim any belief as my own but I have come to understand that I am intrinsically religious in certain ways. The aesthetic of such figures has been an inspiration and I see a connection between the visage of man created by god and the body of technology created by man. I don’t mean the brain of technology; think deeper into the physicality of it and the language that we have created around the visual representation of digitality. 

I enjoy working representationally, and having it so that my work is not so much something to decode, but to be experienced. Performance, and experimental installations have fully enthralled me as of recently. It is a practice I plan to pursue more in the future, this project is simply a way to get my feet wet. I’ve never done anything remotely near interactive art, even if this is a base and incredibly simple version of it. I want this piece to feel like a unique perspective for everyone who comes across it. For this piece in particular I chose a mirror as that is the most often viewed way we can see ourselves from our own perspective. Then overlaid with the motherboard parts will be obscured and foggy. Lending to a moment of hesitation before the viewer is fully able to realize the piece. Almost like focusing and unfocusing a camera lens. There is a crack, unintended but not unwelcome. Through the trial and error that came from learning a new technique it was hard to find a balance between the fragility of the glass and the aggressive heat of the laser. I had to pause the program at every inch to allow for the surface to cool and heat to dissipate but even with those precautions the glass cracked. I could say I was hoping it would crack or that it lends another layer of depth to the meaning but it doesn’t, it’s simply an error and byproduct of experimentation and pushing a tool to its limits.

Artists such as Sean Augestine March have helped in conceptualizing how mirrored vessels can be utilized. I want to delve farther into the space of reflection and light, how they can play off my theming of our bodies being intertwined and indistinguishable from that of the machine.