When writing an artist statement I feel like a fish out of the water. As a visual, or audio/visual, artist, words are not what I feel most comfortable with expressing myself. I prefer to express my ideas and communicate my vision in time based visual media.
The field of animation spans many industries and creative practices. It includes computer animation, with applications in visual effects, gaming, scientific visualization, forensic animation, and, of course, computer animated shorts and feature films. I have experience in the animation and visual effects industry and operate where these industries and the digital arts meet. The expansion of media in the field has led me to expand my practice.
Next to being an animator, I consider myself a digital artist. The computer has become the main tool in video editing, animation and image manipulation. The boundaries between film, video and animation have eroded, they are blending into a single art form. I create time based work. The entire audio and video production process has been digitized, with a few exceptions, most notably chemical film. Thus using the term digital to refer to oneself while working in time based arts now seems redundant, but I keep using it as it also hints at another, more technical side of my work.
I make use of scripting and programming. I am not a computer scientist who will come up with new algorithms, but explore the use of pseudo randomness and other algorithms for creative expression, specifically as they apply to time based art. I am searching for odd and intriguing ways of combining computer generated images with real world input by means of editing, image processing, texture mapping and compositing. This real world input can be photography, video, 3D scanning, motion capture or any other dataset, even stock market data.
I am a digital artist exploring the use of computer graphics technology for creative expression, specifically as it applies to time based art. Working in a field where technology is rapidly evolving, I regularly explore new tools to incorporate into my practice. I have recently been branching out into Virtual Reality (VR), which is more than just a new tool but can be seen as its own medium.
Most of my work starts with an image in my head that I put to paper in a quick sketch or more elaborate drawing. Attempting to decipher its significance using a process of association and reflection, the idea for a work takes shape. Juxtaposing the images gathered during this process, I construct an inner logic to connect the pieces. Even though I create work using extremely logical tools, its nature is associative. Part of my process is tinkering with software and code. Using pseudo-random and noise functions over multiple iterations can generate surprisingly complex and sometimes unexpected imagery. Some of my best visuals originate from programming errors that I turned around and made into controllable image generating code. Such a "lucky accident" can become one of the starting points for a new work.
My original training as a traditional filmmaker has fortified my belief that dramatic tension is important for any time-based art, even if it appears to be absent. While I have been drifting away from cinematic storytelling, communication is an essential part of my work, even if the narrative present in my work is at times merely a vehicle to convey ideas or paint an atmosphere. Sound Design plays an important role in my work. Speaking more directly to the mind than visual stimuli (less interference from language or other symbolic systems) sound is extremely powerful in setting the mood, and can divert the onlooker towards an alternate state of consciousness that strongly influences the interpretation of the accompanying visuals.
Ever since I created my first computer animated sequence as a freshman in film school I have been fascinated by the computer as tool for creative expression. My work will continue to evolve along several paths, including character and procedural animation, video and image manipulation, 3D printing and VR. Where these paths cross I hope to find new ways of expression, I will continue to explore different creative avenues with the aim to get to a place where this creative research comes together to form new and exciting work, which could be referred to as expanded animation.
Wobbe F. Koning