[SISEA 1990] Artist Statement: Mike King — # 2

Artist Statement

I have been involved in the use of computers in fine art for about six years, and write software for my own and other artists’ use, and run classes in the subject (at the City of London Polytechnic). I have explored many aspects of the medium, concentrating on static images for the time being. I think that the visual possibilities of the new medium are only beginning to be realised, and I am convinced that computers will have in the long term a significant impact both on the way that artists work, and in the visual language they employ.

In my latest series I have been exploring some of the problems of producing expressive imagery with 3D software: many systems that artists use originate from engineering applications and can limit expressivity. By building my own more organic-based modeller and placing the rendered 3D images in specially-generated backgrounds I can begin to make a more personal statement, and am able to explore abstract meanings within the language of 3D volume, weight and juxtaposition. I have always been interested in the effect on one of the presence and distribution of large volumes such as building, trees and mountains. For example, when a building or tree disappears in a familiar place, such as the street one lives in, one feels its absence in a curious way that is not just to do with spatial perception: it is an emotional thing, though a rather abstract

  • Mike King (UK),  City of London Polytechnic, UK