Brittany Ransom
As an artist I strive to probe the lines between human, animal, and environmental
relations while exploring emergent technologies. Using ready made and custom
computing interfaces, code, and utilizing sensory data as a material, my work
introduces concepts that explore the conflicted relationship between our human
culture, the way we interact with one another via digital interface, and the
concern for nature.
My work specifically deals with the transformation of material states through
digital technologies such as 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, and CNC Milling. The main
motivation in my work is to explore the paradoxical bonds between human, urban and
natural ecologies, the inhabitants of said spaces, and the co-evolution between the
shifting digital innovations and our human selves. As an artist, my work involves
employing these emergent systems into my practice while attempting to propel the
viewer/participant to adopt a criticality towards our interactions and adaptations
of technological structures within our collective society.
Evolving technology has always been at the forefront of my artistic, educational,
and professional career. I strive to create interactive devices and installations
that probe the reflexive co-evolution of humans as a species, technological trend
development, and how these developments impact interactions with the natural world.
Most recently my projects have focused on objects that utilize always fluctuating
real-time trends in social media to function. I am also specifically interested
in the perspective of the other (animals / insects) and have designed several
series of “backpacks” and interactive devices for a range of non-humans varying
from domestic dogs to cockroaches. I introduce project concepts in the form of
interactive dog toys, wearable devices, custom sensor based systems, social media
and web data driven systems, interactive public installation, wearable recording
devices, and two-dimensional digital manipulations. My research practice invites
technology to heighten our awareness of how the evolution of technology impacts
our existence as humans and how we function with(in) the rest of the physical and
natural world. While I am interested in emergent technologies and systems, it is
imperative that my work calls to traditional sculptural techniques. Much of my work
relies on the use of wood, plastic, metal, and foundry work and it is imperative
that these materials and methods make themselves evident to the viewer to lend
senses of tangibility.
