Jay Borgwardt combines music, dance and new media in his artwork follow
American artist Jay Borgwardt is growing a captivating and multifaceted physique of labor that sits on the intersection of digital and conventional practices, new media, sound artwork and light-weight artwork. It’s really a fascinating factor to behold: interactive artwork resembling Borgwardt’s, that may contain so many alternative components and but really feel as if it’s all vital; not practically as ostentatious because the work of so many others treading the identical paths has begun to really feel. Borgwardt can inform a easy story, resembling with Shadows of Reminiscence, that’s profound in its timelessness, and speaks to all of us on some stage, with a sensitivity that’s more and more lacking, or is obscured from up to date artwork; typically by a pressured drive to overproduce work. The artist discusses this piece, telling STIR, “In Shadows of Reminiscence, folks can shine a magic flashlight across the room and reveal the shadows of people that aren’t bodily there. However the shadows aren’t static; they’re dancing, and thru dance, they’re telling a narrative over the course of a number of scenes. I imagine that each set of lovers creates one thing secret and new of their love, and this was an try and reveal that secret love interactively to different folks. Love and reminiscence are such fascinating subjects; essentially the most significant components of our lives now not exist in actuality. They reside as subjective representations of what truly occurred, deep in our heads. For those who had been to return and revisit the locations the place a few of your most essential reminiscences occurred, it would really feel one thing like Shadows of Reminiscence.”
The artist who hails from St. Louis, Missouri, graduated from the Media Arts and Apply program on the USC Faculty of Cinematic Arts, which he seems again on fondly as a unbelievable program that helped him perceive what it means to merge principle and follow. He says that it was an exquisite coaching floor for him to determine what he wished to pursue, each as an artist and as an individual. Previous to his time within the Media Arts Apply program, Borgwardt was an novice dancer and musician, and wished to pursue music as a full-time profession. Despite the fact that he determined to observe a special path, he maintains that music and dance are integral components of all artwork, and tries to implement them wherever potential. He says, “A formative second for me was watching Ballet Rotoscope by EUPHRATES. This can be a new media artwork video during which a ballet dancer fades out and in as digital traces kind summary patters over her physique. I like the best way the motion, music, and digital shapes mix so superbly to kind a jaw dropping piece of video artwork.”
The artist continues mentioning his influences, and tells STIR, “I used to be additionally impressed by Teruaki Tsubokura, a inventive technologist who truly got here up with the unique magic flashlight method years in the past. His work transcends easy {hardware} and software program as he creates artwork that appears like its 10 years from the long run. Extra not too long ago, I’ve been impressed by Harvey Moon, a brand new media artist who creates gorgeous works of digital and bodily artwork. I used to be lucky sufficient to begin working for his firm MB Labs a few years in the past, and he continues to encourage me each single day together with his out-of-the-box pondering.”
Borgwardt admits to have struggled together with his inventive course of for fairly just a few years now. He mentions that he would typically fall prey to the tendency in direction of overproduction talked about on the onset of this text. Owing to this, his items would develop into what he regards as “shiny-cool tech with little actual substance”, the place the that means behind his work was all the time relegated to a secondary place. Just lately nevertheless, he has taken to pursuing a substance-first strategy to his follow, and desires to discover a glad steadiness between the 2 paths.
Persevering with with the subject of discovering steadiness, the artist asserts that there’s immense potential within the tryst between music and coding. He explains, “I imagine that coding and music make an ideal match, as music can create reside visuals by means of code, and a code can create music by means of synthesizers. Each “languages” rely closely on math, although music can convey a way more simply accessible depth of emotion. By combining the 2, artists can harness the most effective of each worlds: the inventive energy of code and the emotional energy of music. It’s a match made in heaven and the idea of a number of the most unbelievable artwork I’ve ever seen. I wish to discover this convergence extra in my future work as properly, as I’ve solely simply begun to scratch the floor of sonic media artwork.”
Borgwardt’s newest exhibition was his premiere of Shadows of Reminiscence at USC, however not lengthy earlier than that, he participated within the creation of a multi-part set up referred to as Unfavourable Purple, hosted at MB Labs. He mentions that he’s wanting to undertake extra collaborative interactive set up work, concerning it as an efficient vector for artists to share concepts with each other, and finally create one thing that’s greater than the sum of its components; one thing that’s better than that which they may create individually. He’s additionally dreaming of taking his work to movie festivals. “I do know that wouldn’t be the usual pipeline for lots of interactive artists, not that there actually is a normal pipeline, however I believe I’ve loads to be taught from the movie business about storytelling and I’d love to indicate my work to that sort of viewers, and in that sort of ambiance. I recognise that movie festivals aren’t very accessible, so one other purpose of mine is to create installations for public and semi-public areas to convey extra enjoyable and inventive artwork into the world,” he says. The artist’s needs to develop this presentation format is extremely promising, and will certainly bridge a niche between formal and casual inventive transmission. Regardless, Borgwardt’s creative expression will little question stay partaking for all audiences, owing to its simplicity and timelessness.
