studio art + ryanthompson.us
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Artist/Designer Statement
My work is situated between the mundane and the significant, the local and the global, seeking to explore the spaces between theory and practice—between what we believe and what we do. To examine these gaps, I draw upon a variety of studio practices, from contemplative video works that challenge viewers ability to slow down, observe, and listen, to activist-like campaigns that question corporate and personal responsibility. My work acknowledges and critiques individual and collective complicity in unsustainable global systems and structures. I eat oranges in winter. I fill my car with oil. I watch trees fall. But I am not merely a passive observer. I seek to point out that transformation begins when we carefully and thoughtfully attend to the seemingly small decisions of the everyday.
Work
Tree Fell digital video, internet connection; dimensions variable, 2007, Documentary footage of a tree felling is slowed down to mirror the life span of the tree--80 years. The video is archived on the web and will play once through.
Oranges in Winter (video still 2), Digital video projection, 5 min., 2008, dimensions variable.
Untitled from More Blank Billboards series, C-Print, 9”x13”, 2007.