Art Shots! Caught in the Ephemeral
Art, Art ShoutsGetting caught in the ephemeral seems impossible, but when encountering images that move and delve just as one begins to see their vitality, it is possible to transfix the cerebral and sensuous in a constant process of becoming.
Ben Austin, Internet artist and poet is murooned on Tumblr, leaving the viewer with images that seem to move, morph, dabble in the constantly new, mimicking the state of mind and activity when scrolling through a Tumblr blog.
Playful titles such as “That Gumball Machine You Like Is Going To Come Back In Style” may offer context, but movement and layers are inviting enough to itch curiosity, which grows as the gaze moves downward; while scrolling, meaning-making becomes an active process.
Movement tyrannizes the gaze with luscious colour scooped out of a sunny day. The cursor moves vertically, in opposition to the eyes, which move horizontally—both work simultaneously to trace the tongues of active colour. A change in the pace of consumption is achieved.
Retinal stains synthesize in neon shock before the slow follow of pulsing bodies in heat. In purple whispers, a threshold is exceeded.
Sometimes comical, a potential subject lapsing in waves of gloom and rage. It’s all fun.
Pathways to a script or fabric overturn the purple approach. Ambiguity is invitation, subject is amalgam; the gaze is teased and you are scrolling slowly, staring.