Artchipel

Thomas Jackson (USA) - Emergent behavior | Plages and Cups

“The hovering sculptures featured in this ongoing series of photographs are inspired by self-organizing, “emergent” systems in nature such as termite mounds, swarming locusts, schooling fish and flocking birds. The images attempts to tap into the fear and fascination that those phenomena tend to evoke, while creating an uneasy interplay between the natural and the manufactured and the real and the imaginary. At the same time, each image is an experiment in juxtaposition. By constructing the pieces from unexpected materials and placing them in environments where they seem least to belong, I aim to tweak the margins of our visual vocabulary, and to invite fresh interpretations of everyday things.

I have struggled with the role of Photoshop in my work. I can’t make my images without it, yet I don’t really want it to be an integral part of my creative process. So I’ve set up some rules of the road for myself, and I’ve stuck to them while creating all my recent images. Basically I want the images to be as “in camera” as possible, so instead of employing PS to composite or more things around, I simply use it to remove elements I don’t want to be there. The sculpture[s] in th[ese] image[s] [are] real and w[ere] photographed. I simply used PS to remove the support that was holding the thing up, and to make a few other minor tweaks. So on the spectrum between “retouched image” and “real time image”, I’ve strived to make it closer to the latter.” - Thomas Jackson

[more Thomas Jackson | artist found at feel desain]