lou suSi
MFA Dynamic Media Institute (DMI)bureauofcybersurrealinvestigation.com
ls@loususi.com
Artist Statement
Modern day people live in ‘betweenSpace' - a transitional point in time and space that is located somewhere between our new-found dataSpace and the natural world. We interpret sensations and messages from a myriad of mediatypes ( both organic and virtual ) on a continuous basis. A sense of ‘texture' - perhaps a ‘surface spirit' - is lost when moving from the natural | organic to the virtual | artificial domains. More and more, our relationship to the world and the people we meet involves informational mediation through a strange involvement with ‘the invisible other' in society - a sort of shadow presence of devices, technology, and information.
My work explores this ‘beweenSpace' by creating playful, performative, cyberSurreal experiences for the user-participant. Using both pretend and prototyped devices, I touch and tickle the subtle boundaries of our everShifting social conventions as increasingly influenced, stretched and blurred over time by the introduction of new inventions into our technoHumanic ecosystem.
I fabricate and utilize entire systems of tools ( ranging in style and media of delivery ) to discover the boundaries and report back my findings to the fictional Bureau of cyberSurreal Investigation. The information I glean produces controversial discourse - revealing areas of unintended usage and potential exploitation points in the found systems I am testing ‘out there' in the world. My personal interest in the build up and release of psychoSocial tensions drives my first-person commentary based on qualitative data collection - hopefully resulting in humorous insight into our supposed progress as a society in The Information Age.
seaShell telePhony, Medium: performance with shellPhones, Year: Spring 2011
moneyShot Bouquet, Medium: found wooden frame, fake craft flowers, IR Sensor, Senso Motor, Arduino microprocessor, windshield washer pump, and water, Size: 36 x 48 inches, Year: Autumn 2010
the laughterLife, Medium: laughter performance in various media, Year: 2008-2011