STATEMENT

The quest of modernity has come to its final phase in the form of postmodernism. Many of the past victorious attempts by modernists to redefine “individualism” and “self” seem to have found the wall of linguistics structure and categorization as governing principals of human consciousness. Postmodernism tends to recycle a façade of preexisting methods and theories, thereby creating fragmentation and dislocation. Simultaneously, the presence of computer technology is rapidly reshaping our visual culture by offering the potential for more streamlined production and distribution possibilities.

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Considering this current environment, it is essential to investigate the effect and implication of visual culture, by asking such existential questions as: why do we make images? Where do they come from and what is their primary function? In order to answer these rather difficult questions, my work focuses on the adaptive coloration of cephalopods (squid, octopus and cuttlefish) as a biological model that codes and re-maps visual information, such as avant-garde paintings, photographs, and video. In my research, their adaptive coloration is triggered by replacing natural substrates (sand, mud, seaweed, etc.…) with computer-generated images of paintings, photographs and videos. Upon collecting data from these experiments, a series of paintings, photographs and videos were produced. The genetically and evolutionally pure empirical data of squid and cuttlefish may not only uncover certain key information needed to understand the origin of visual communication but also function as a catalyst that will redirect our culture away from the ever simulated hyperreality. This, in turn, may create a truly valuable interdisciplinary platform to discuss the current trends in both art and science.

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