future proof
installation, painting
2009-13
"Future Proofing" is a tenuous concept in the technology sector. It describes the creation of a product that is built to withstand the technological advances of the coming years. The idea is flawed, in that it is impossible to measure in advance the rate of change of technology, but, nonetheless, products are created with this idea in mind.
The series of artworks in Future Proof are designed to reflect the futility of this idea, and also analyse and dissect the rate of technological change over the last thirty years, and how this has affected various areas of social life.
Future Proof I and II, 2011 & 2013, VHS tape, CDs , dimensions variable
This work uses mixed media that are mostly obsolescent (video tapes and CDs.) in a mixed-media installation as the title piece of this series.
A second text-based installation was created using video tape and installed at the public one-month intervention Granby Park project run by Upstart, September 2013. The play on words between 'raise' and 'raze' are used in response to the construction/destruction history of the site of the park, where a library was due to be built (still pending at time of writing, 2023).
the 2013 edition used tape on a site-spectific install
detail of the original install
the piece was left on-site to degrade over time
Coming Soon! de Selbys Latest and Greatest! The One The Only...DMP!, 2011, Bicycle wheels, video tape, CDs, plastic pipes, wood and acrylic, 210 x 280 x 297cm
Based on writer Flann O'Brien's The Dalkey Archive and The Third Policeman, this work plays with the idea of obsolete ideas and future proofing art. The artwork is designed to suck all of the oxygen out of the atmosphere.
The Third Policeman was originally written by O'Brien but was rejected by his publisher in the 1930s. Subsequently, The Dalkey Archive was created as a rewrite by O'Brien, and was published. The original book was later published posthumously, but has been the more popular and critically acclaimed. The idea of the original book as the more advanced and the rewrite as obsolete inspired this work.
Made on residency at in The Nes International Artist Residency, Skagastrond, Iceland.
the 2013 edition used tape on a site-spectific install
detail of the original install
the piece was left on-site to degrade over time
A Period of Constant Revolution, 2007, Oil, wax, charcoal and spray-paint on canvas, 142 x 320cm
This painting uses images of obsolete and contemporary technologies, and references to 20th Century literature
It's Nothing You Haven't Seen Before, 2007, Oil, wax, charcoal and spray-paint on canvas, 108 x 176cm
A painting that is nothing you haven't seen before.
Remember the Good Old Days, 2008, Computer, playing cards, paint and mixed media, 110 x 325 x 55cm
A playful piece looking at obsolescence in recent digital media, creating a personality for an old computer. Based on writings on technology and AI.
influences
things I read or saw that helped create this project
- roland barthes image-music-text (1977) book
- charlie chaplin modern times (1936) film
- fritz lang metropolis (1927) film
- flann o'brien the dalkey archive (1964) book [LIT]
- flann o'brien the third policeman (1967) book [LIT]
- george orwell the road to wigan pier (1937) book
- alvin toffler future shock (1970) book
collaborators
colleagues who worked on this project with me
- the other artists at nes artist residency who gave their opinions and responses: candice, dieter, evelyn, evan, kate, naomi, wendy, gordon, knut, matt, min-hae and many others (thank ye!)
- gary and amy, who helped build the 2013 work at granby park
financial support
people or organisations who helped fund the work
- sligo arts office for supporting travel to the nes artist residency
- upstart/granby park for support for the work on site there