Ranting On Statements

37signals has an interesting post on art statements, things that once caused me much grief and anguish, as the 'art' I produce is never pre-planned or thought about until its done. In the art shows I've done, I've usually been asked to write a statement, and once I've gotten over the fact that I have to write something when there's nothing to write about, the agony disappears and I begin to view the statement as a piece in itself; it is not a description, but rather a few short words to encapsulate the state of mind I'm in when I'm looking at the work. A poem, if you will.

It's still awfully corny, and can be even more painful when you're told to write an artist's statement - something about you and your work as a whole. The statement is often displayed next to those from arty artists, whose 'art language'-filled paragraphs make as much sense to me as the papers my girlfriend writes, so it is at once intimidating and preposterous.

I have currently settled on the still-pretty-corny "I like to computationally connect wonder and reality"; it is a fancy way of saying "Glen tries to make things that instill a sense of wonder". I miss the feeling that came with being a child and discovering new things, and so I spend all my time trying to find it again. I believe this is what drives me - for the most part, I do not start projects thinking 'oh, this is going to be art' or 'this is going to be a nerdy VR thing' - they all begin with 'I wonder what it would be like if ...'.

This is why I find it amusing (although sometimes flattering) when I am called an 'artist' or a 'programmer', it is why I find it terrifying when I am asked "what does it mean" at art shows, why I only care about 'getting it done' and not process or technique - I'm really just making things because I am fascinated by "what isn't, but could be".

P.S. Some people have been asking if, since going to Google, I have abandoned the art world in favour of nerdism. I haven't, of course; I've just been terrifically busy. Besides, it's all the same, right?