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Artistic Statement
I invented a system of communication based on the forms and colors that correspond to specific physical parts of Formula One racing. When a driver like David Coulthard speeds into a turn, painted red and white stripes on the inside of that turn guide him toward the apex and help him find the best line so he can negotiate the next section of the race course as fast as possible. If at some point Coulthard encounters slower traffic ahead of him, officials stationed throughout the course wave a blue flag which means the driver of the slower car must yield and let Coulthard pass. During this pass, if the slower driver happens to crash, the officials wave a yellow flag telling the other drivers to slow down. After the accident has been cleared, the officials wave a green flag telling the drivers that the track conditions are safe and they may continue racing. The red and white stripes and colored flags quickly communicate vital information to the drivers. That’s what I found so interesting. In the racing paintings I created a language of symbols to represent red and white stripes, colored flags, and stacked tires because I wanted to study how the forms and colors related to each other visually. I focused on the colored stripe symbol most of the time because that element had an interesting rhythm that could be manipulated by changing its structure. I remember spending hours repeatedly mixing different tones and applying them until I found the perfect contrast. The ticker paintings represent the development of my fascination with a system’s ability to rapidly communicate salient information. Combining the exchange symbols of real and imaginary companies to form phrases allows me to investigate accepted interpretations of the ticker by exploring the rules of its structure. By tweaking this system I can learn more about how the symbols and colors relate to each other formally. Symbols literalize these two systems of language. I’m describing visually how the symbols in a stock ticker relate to each other in terms of form and color. I’m developing a lexicon of images that enables me to subversively communicate a highly personal content. I want to see how far I can push the system before it turns into something new. |
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