Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Joshua Kennington

Reignited

A work composed of traditional and electrical media, which reconsiders our relationship to technology while at the same time being approachable. The work is set upon a custom made plinth, and against a wall to project its illuminated display upon the wall behind it. It's a piece that allows you to get close, to bask in the red glow the eminates from its cool metal confines.

“There's something unmistakable about it. The flash of light, the irredeemable gaze. The hidden magic within the metal box, partly undone but only revealing a mere glimpse of itself for the outside world. The act of omission, of masking the interior mechanisms and power within this hybrid object is what makes it such a curious fascination, and initiates a dialogue between us, the user, and the object. As we peer into this object of hybridity, we realize the object is already beginning to open up to us. While its still mostly concealing itself as a digital object, it's on the cusp of revealing its inner chambers, and thereby its true nature. This work explores intersecting notions of internalized security, with the interface to create an object that both shies away, but also invited interactivity and interaction.The smooth metallic grille exterior filters the now diseminating light coming from the mysterious interior of this object. It's vast luminance over surrounding surfaces and spaces, onto other objects and users is a commentary on the fundamental impact that technology has on us, and our environment as a whole. ”