Coelynn McIninch

Artist Statement

As a participatory citizen of our digital society, it is part of everyday negotiations to stretch the concept of self beyond the borders of the physical frame. We willingly separate ourselves from our senses in exchange for the ability to alter and multiply our self. I am both disturbed and mesmerized by technology’s effect on human communication, perception and the locus of human agency. I choose to avoid direct consideration of the instinctive associations between virtual presence and spirituality. My interest in the areas of tangibility and embodiment are more philosophical and scientific in nature, focused on the physio-social dynamic. In recognition of the inevitable connection however, I frequently utilize visual and auditory illusions to emphasize a perceived digital sublime.

Virtual possessions interactions are commonplace. To make the intangible tangible would be to destroy the very nature of its existence. The most effective way to represent and verify the intangible is to focus on its effects in the physical world. The need for the corporeal as a direct contrast to the insubstantial is a central part of my work. For this reason, my art is not suited to an entirely virtual life but exists as a symbiotic relationship between virtual and physical form.

My work with vellum and video focuses on the absence of tactile response during technologically mediated communication. The movement of the hands is slow and sensual but silent and without substance. They are projected onto a frameless sheet of vellum that vaguely resembles human skin. The piece is meant to illicit the desire for touch and yet provides no tangible focus for that desire.

The “Hello” project is in direct response to what Aluquerre Rosanne Stone describes as “The legible Body.” Listing the textual data that defines an individual as an active part of a society or group. To emphasize the difference between the legible body and the physio-social body, the categorizing information is presented in nametag form (a manner traditionally used during face-to-face human interaction). My chosen media are multi-platform: digital photo, database, installation, interactive, and mixed-media, mimicking the dynamic interactions of the technophilic environment I am commenting on.

My aim is to impress upon the viewer the idea of the disassociative, inhuman nature of our technological progressiveness and emphasize how our physical senses can no longer be trusted as we are instinctively led forward by the sensual manipulations of a technologically advanced consumer society. In the past, my work has been more illustrative of the structure of technological interactions. My recent projects are more reactionary, based upon observation and personal experience with technology. Play and interactivity are two central themes in any critical analysis of technological influence. I am currently researching ways to include both of these aspects in my future works while staying focused on the body and self. A few areas of research I am focusing on are installation art, on-line pornography and on-line worlds.