From Charlie Chaplain’s questioning of the machine in the film ‘Modern Times’ to Umberto Boccioni’s exhilarating ideals about technology’s possibilities ‘modern-day’ artists have created a vital and powerful dialog about the impact of technology from the beginning of the industrial revolution. I am presenting a body of work that continues to reference that legacy of storytelling. I have created work that I hope has an impact on those who view it, enabling them to continue to question the role of technology in society.
My continuing fascination with technology is the inspiration for ‘Still Life with Technology’. Technology is the application of science by human beings, to ease, prolong, or take life. I am trying to engender a sense of wonder and achievement in the incredible expertise we have in the creation of, for example, nuclear power, the Internet, or the Hoover Dam; there is a thrill to the subject matter, almost a feeling of excitement and foreboding in terms of its scale and function. I also want to encompass the incredible ironies that the technology we develop often has, as multiple applications emerge from the same basic science, some are without doubt amazing, and some are utterly awful. Take centrifugal force as an example - it is possible to juxtapose a cotton candy machine with IR-4 gas centrifuges, that are used to enrich uranium, both use centrifugal force.
As well as my passion for understanding technology's impact and advancement I have been inspired by an Olivia Erlanger exhibition: ‘If Today Were Tomorrow’, - The Contemporary Arts Museum, in Houston I visited two years ago. Erlanger explores living in a world where fundamental technologies have broken down (e.g. tap has running sand rather than water, where life can no longer be supported reliably with basic utilities like electricity and water.
I have researched and captured imagery from factories, and industrial installations to explore the different applications of specific scientific methodologies and present or juxtapose their applied uses. I have also looked at domestic appliances in a similar way to Erlanger and have explored their beauty, shape and function.
To summarize – I have created 20 artworks that visualize the dichotomy technology presents, and the questions society should be asking. I have portrayed technological equipment as compelling, and often beautiful in terms of its structure and complexity, while at the same time, questioning what we use it for, and how we have evolved some to feed us, and some to kill us.
Still Life with Technology was originally part-funded by The Nevada Arts Council in 2025. My work has continued and expanded and will be exhibited at the College of Southern Nevada from 26th June to the 19th September 2026. The exhibition will be on display simultaniously in VR at The ValleRy.com
'On behalf of the staff and board of the Nevada Arts Council please accept my congratulations on your Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Award. The Nevada Arts Council strives to support the remarkable work of Nevada’s arts industry in communities throughout the state.
