Darren Douglas Floyd is a motion picture artist working in 16mm film and digital video, compositing, visual effects and animation. His work explores issues of gender, intimacy, privacy and sexuality through self-portraiture, video letters, journal and diary films, and the travelogue, using a combination of narrative, documentary, experimental and animation techniques. Darren has been accepted to several prestigious artist residencies including Yaddo, I-Park and the Millay Colony for the Arts. His work has been exhibited at the AC Institute, CANADA, Video Dumbo and Gallery 138 in New York City and screened in many group shows and film festivals. His recent solo exhibition, Destroyer of Dreams, Or, Container of All Future Meaning, was installed March 13 - April 13, 2014 in the Van Every Gallery at Davidson College. His current studio practice involves a kinect for motion capture and a portable 3D scanner as a collection tool for experimental 3D animations. Darren is currently employed as Instructor of Digital Arts at Bowling Green State University.
BIO
TRANSFORMERS: Code and Data-Driven Animation
Deadline:
Fri Sep 04, 2015 00:00
TRANSFORMERS: Code and Data-Driven Animation
Computer programming is an often invisible force that effects many aspects of our contemporary lives. From how we gather our news, maintain our libraries, or navigate our built environment, code shapes the interfaces and information they connect to. Artists who work with these languages as material can critically excavate code and its effects.
We seek submissions of animation and video that are produced through the use and manipulation of code and/or data. This can include, but is not limited to Processing, data sets, motion capture, procedural animation, and other forms of digital processing. Submitted work may include screen recordings or documentation of interactive, browser based, or live visual performances. The selected works will be screened during CAA and will have an online presence through the New Media Caucus Vimeo Channel and website. This program is part of the New Media Caucus’ participation in the 2016 College Art Association (CAA) Conference.
Preference is given to videos that are five minutes and under.(If longer videos are selected we will request that the artist provides a shorter excerpt).
The program will be selected by a panel of video artists including:
Mat Rappaport - Artist, Columbia College Chicago and v1b3.com
Darren Douglas Floyd - Artist/Filmmaker
A. Bill Miller - Artist, The University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
CALENDAR
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
September 4, 2015
NOTIFICATION
November 15, 2015
SUBMISSION FORM LINK
http://bit.ly/transformersCAA
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
First Name
Last Name
Email
Web site
Vimeo link to submitted video
Mailing Address
Title of Piece
Year Created
Brief Description (250 words max)
Bio (250 words max)
Computer programming is an often invisible force that effects many aspects of our contemporary lives. From how we gather our news, maintain our libraries, or navigate our built environment, code shapes the interfaces and information they connect to. Artists who work with these languages as material can critically excavate code and its effects.
We seek submissions of animation and video that are produced through the use and manipulation of code and/or data. This can include, but is not limited to Processing, data sets, motion capture, procedural animation, and other forms of digital processing. Submitted work may include screen recordings or documentation of interactive, browser based, or live visual performances. The selected works will be screened during CAA and will have an online presence through the New Media Caucus Vimeo Channel and website. This program is part of the New Media Caucus’ participation in the 2016 College Art Association (CAA) Conference.
Preference is given to videos that are five minutes and under.(If longer videos are selected we will request that the artist provides a shorter excerpt).
The program will be selected by a panel of video artists including:
Mat Rappaport - Artist, Columbia College Chicago and v1b3.com
Darren Douglas Floyd - Artist/Filmmaker
A. Bill Miller - Artist, The University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
CALENDAR
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
September 4, 2015
NOTIFICATION
November 15, 2015
SUBMISSION FORM LINK
http://bit.ly/transformersCAA
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
First Name
Last Name
Web site
Vimeo link to submitted video
Mailing Address
Title of Piece
Year Created
Brief Description (250 words max)
Bio (250 words max)
Procedural Art: Game Platforms for Creative Expression
Deadline:
Mon Aug 31, 2015 00:00
The New Media Caucus invites artists, scholars, and theoreticians to submit proposals for a panel discussion titled Procedural Art: Game Platforms for Creative Expression. We welcome presentations focused on the design, aesthetics, and affordances of game platforms for new media art, as well as in critical approaches to this emerging genre. We are especially interested in sharing projects that demonstrate the creative use of game platforms in fine art contexts, and in highlighting the full range of possibilities this new medium offers.
Each participant will present a 10-15 presentation, and then participate in a discussion on the genre in relation to the larger art world.
Submission must include:
Publishing Requirement:
Media-N Journal of the New Media Caucus will publish a conference edition after the CAA conference, showcasing conference proceedings sponsored by the NMC. To this end, Individuals are required to submit materials for the journal edition. Media-N offers flexibility regarding how to achieve the publishing requirement. Once invitations are accepted, the Editor-in-Chief of Media-N will contact the chair(s) to further discuss and plan for the publishing requirement. All materials for publication must be completed by mid-April after the conference.
NOTES:
TIMELINE: Peer review will occur shortly after the deadline. Notification of acceptance will be late September.
DEADLINE: Email submissions by August 31, 2015 to Victoria Szabo at ves4@duke.edu.
Each participant will present a 10-15 presentation, and then participate in a discussion on the genre in relation to the larger art world.
Submission must include:
- 3-page CV, submitted as PDF
- 300 – 600 word abstract that describes the artistic or scholarly work.
- Documentation of art, if appropriate.
Publishing Requirement:
Media-N Journal of the New Media Caucus will publish a conference edition after the CAA conference, showcasing conference proceedings sponsored by the NMC. To this end, Individuals are required to submit materials for the journal edition. Media-N offers flexibility regarding how to achieve the publishing requirement. Once invitations are accepted, the Editor-in-Chief of Media-N will contact the chair(s) to further discuss and plan for the publishing requirement. All materials for publication must be completed by mid-April after the conference.
NOTES:
- This panel is for a 2-hour New Media Caucus sponsored panel session in the College Art Association Media Lounge.
- Panelists must be New Media Caucus members.
There are no membership fees. JOIN NMC
- Panelists do not need to be CAA members.
- NMC does not fund conference fees, transportation, or hotels for panelists.
- Presenting during a 1.5 hour session does not disqualify you from chairing a panel or serving as a panelist in 2.5 hour session at CAA.
TIMELINE: Peer review will occur shortly after the deadline. Notification of acceptance will be late September.
DEADLINE: Email submissions by August 31, 2015 to Victoria Szabo at ves4@duke.edu.
Ecologies of Creative Activism
Deadline:
Mon Aug 31, 2015 00:00
OPEN CALL: Ecologies of Creative Activism
Venue: College Art Association Conference, Media Lounge
Exhibit Date: February 6, 2016 @ CAA Conference in Washington, D.C.
Deadline to Enter: 8/31/15
Entry Fee: FREE
Eligibility: Open to international artists ages 18+.
The New Media Caucus is programming a session for the ARTspace Media Lounge entitled Ecologies of Creative Activism, under the theme of VISIBLE/INVISIBLE at CAA 2016 in Washington, DC.
Theme:
This year’s theme, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE explores the legacy of identity and representation politics, considered in the context of our present culture where individuals, organizations and ideas can be easily captured, tracked, exposed, appropriated from the circulation of digital material which simultaneously feeds capitalist media assembly lines and alternative economies. Through Media Lounge programming we aim to foster a dialog centered on emerging artistic sensibilities that mix art and a politics of representation amid a transforming sociopolitical landscape.
Session Theme:
In response to the larger theme of the the New Media Lounge program, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE, the New Media Caucus will present, Ecologies of Creative Activism. We seek artworks that engage the connections between the language we use to define identity and representation politics as they mirror the language of ecology, particularly the tendency to describe “landscapes” within socio-political spheres, the concept of microcosm/macrocosm in reference to activism and politics, as well as works exploring ecological issues from a scientific standpoint.
Ecologies of Creative Activism asks how do the theories of ecology apply towards activism? Is the internet an ecosphere for activists? Can Twitter and Facebook be seen as ecosystems for activism? The term “ecology” references both the study of how organisms relate within an environment and those relationships themselves, but it has also come to be synonymous with political activism on behalf of those systems. However, not all ecology is activism. The committee wishes to encourage exploration of works that leverage aesthetics of biospheres, ecospheres, and ecosystems from a scientific standpoint as well. We wish to find works that creatively engage with the systems ecology studies and works that practice creative methods of activism. These works may forge ties between art, activism, and ecologies as well as comparing and contrasting these models.
This session encourages alternative means of presentation. In seeking to present alternative modes of communication we discourage the straightforward presentations of papers in favor of small workshops, roundtables, performances, happenings, and other creative responses.
Works may respond to the topic in various ways including and not limited to the following:
Notes:
Submission must include:
3-page CV, submitted as PDF
300 – 600 word abstract describing the artistic or scholarly work
Documentation of art
Publishing Requirement:
Media-N Journal of the New Media Caucus will publish a conference edition after the CAA conference, showcasing conference proceedings sponsored by the NMC. To this end, Individuals are required to submit materials for the journal edition. Media-N offers flexibility regarding how to achieve the publishing requirement. Once invitations are accepted, the Editor-in-Chief of Media-N will contact the chair(s) to further discuss and plan for the publishing requirement. All materials for publication must be completed by mid-April after the conference.
TIMELINE: Peer review will occur shortly after the deadline. Notification of acceptance will be late September.
DEADLINE: Email submissions by August 31, 2015 to demaray@camden.rutgers.edu. Submissions must include “Ecologies of Creative Activism Submission,” in the email subject line.
Selection Process and Criteria:
A jury of New Media Caucus members will consider the submissions in a broad context of our overall theme that looks for connections between the works. Works and presenters will be selected based on their ability to contribute to creating a dynamic, diverse, and interactive new media experience. Notifications will be made by the end of September.
Definitions:
ARTspace is a conference within the conference that is tailored to the interests and needs of artists but is open to all attendees. ARTspace is organized by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee.
The Media Lounge is a space for innovative new media programming in conjunction with ARTspace at the College Art Association’s Annual Conference.
The New Media Caucus is a College Art Association Affiliate Society and an international non-profit association formed to promote the development and understanding of new media art.
Venue: College Art Association Conference, Media Lounge
Exhibit Date: February 6, 2016 @ CAA Conference in Washington, D.C.
Deadline to Enter: 8/31/15
Entry Fee: FREE
Eligibility: Open to international artists ages 18+.
The New Media Caucus is programming a session for the ARTspace Media Lounge entitled Ecologies of Creative Activism, under the theme of VISIBLE/INVISIBLE at CAA 2016 in Washington, DC.
Theme:
This year’s theme, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE explores the legacy of identity and representation politics, considered in the context of our present culture where individuals, organizations and ideas can be easily captured, tracked, exposed, appropriated from the circulation of digital material which simultaneously feeds capitalist media assembly lines and alternative economies. Through Media Lounge programming we aim to foster a dialog centered on emerging artistic sensibilities that mix art and a politics of representation amid a transforming sociopolitical landscape.
Session Theme:
In response to the larger theme of the the New Media Lounge program, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE, the New Media Caucus will present, Ecologies of Creative Activism. We seek artworks that engage the connections between the language we use to define identity and representation politics as they mirror the language of ecology, particularly the tendency to describe “landscapes” within socio-political spheres, the concept of microcosm/macrocosm in reference to activism and politics, as well as works exploring ecological issues from a scientific standpoint.
Ecologies of Creative Activism asks how do the theories of ecology apply towards activism? Is the internet an ecosphere for activists? Can Twitter and Facebook be seen as ecosystems for activism? The term “ecology” references both the study of how organisms relate within an environment and those relationships themselves, but it has also come to be synonymous with political activism on behalf of those systems. However, not all ecology is activism. The committee wishes to encourage exploration of works that leverage aesthetics of biospheres, ecospheres, and ecosystems from a scientific standpoint as well. We wish to find works that creatively engage with the systems ecology studies and works that practice creative methods of activism. These works may forge ties between art, activism, and ecologies as well as comparing and contrasting these models.
This session encourages alternative means of presentation. In seeking to present alternative modes of communication we discourage the straightforward presentations of papers in favor of small workshops, roundtables, performances, happenings, and other creative responses.
Works may respond to the topic in various ways including and not limited to the following:
- internet as ecosphere
- how activists function creatively within systems such as Twitter/Facebook/how those structures encourage a particular style of engagement
- how activists relate differently within particular environments such as the internet, city, remote locations, etc
- political activism as artistic practice
- Ecological activism
- works that use macrocosm/microcosm analogy/explorations
- works that examine biospheres, ecospheres, and ecosystems in scientific ways
- works that creatively engage with ecological systems
- works that practice creative methods of activism
- study of activism within specific online/offline environments and how those environments shape activism
- ways in which activists hack or transform systems to suit their needs
- relationships between activists across
- networks/environments/multiple platforms and how these environments shape activism
- which platforms/systems/environments (ecosystems) foster particular type of activist/activism: how/why?
- micro/macro systems in ecology/art/activism as they intersect and/or individually
Notes:
- This panel is for a 2-hour New Media Caucus sponsored panel session in the CAA Media Lounge.
- Panelists must be New Media Caucus members.
There are no membership fees. JOIN NMC
- Panelists do not need to be College Art Association members.
- New Media Caucus does not fund conference fees, transportation, or hotels for panelists.
- Presenting during a 1.5 hour session does not disqualify you from chairing a panel or serving as a panelist in 2.5 hour session at CAA.
Submission must include:
3-page CV, submitted as PDF
300 – 600 word abstract describing the artistic or scholarly work
Documentation of art
Publishing Requirement:
Media-N Journal of the New Media Caucus will publish a conference edition after the CAA conference, showcasing conference proceedings sponsored by the NMC. To this end, Individuals are required to submit materials for the journal edition. Media-N offers flexibility regarding how to achieve the publishing requirement. Once invitations are accepted, the Editor-in-Chief of Media-N will contact the chair(s) to further discuss and plan for the publishing requirement. All materials for publication must be completed by mid-April after the conference.
TIMELINE: Peer review will occur shortly after the deadline. Notification of acceptance will be late September.
DEADLINE: Email submissions by August 31, 2015 to demaray@camden.rutgers.edu. Submissions must include “Ecologies of Creative Activism Submission,” in the email subject line.
Selection Process and Criteria:
A jury of New Media Caucus members will consider the submissions in a broad context of our overall theme that looks for connections between the works. Works and presenters will be selected based on their ability to contribute to creating a dynamic, diverse, and interactive new media experience. Notifications will be made by the end of September.
Definitions:
ARTspace is a conference within the conference that is tailored to the interests and needs of artists but is open to all attendees. ARTspace is organized by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee.
The Media Lounge is a space for innovative new media programming in conjunction with ARTspace at the College Art Association’s Annual Conference.
The New Media Caucus is a College Art Association Affiliate Society and an international non-profit association formed to promote the development and understanding of new media art.
Intersections: Cinema, Performance, Networked Media, and Politics
Deadline:
Mon Aug 31, 2015 00:00
OPEN CALL FOR ART
Intersections: Cinema, Performance, Networked Media, and Politics
Venue: College Art Association Conference, Media Lounge
Exhibit Date: February 6, 2016 @ CAA Conference in Washington, D.C.
Deadline to Enter: 8/31/15
Entry Fee: FREE
Eligibility: Open to all artists ages 18+.
The New Media Caucus is programming a session for the ARTspace Media Lounge entitled Intersections: Cinema, Performance, Networked Media, and Politics, under the theme of VISIBLE/INVISIBLE at CAA 2016 in Washington, DC.
Theme
This year’s theme, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE explores the legacy of identity and representation politics, considered in the context of our present culture where individuals, organizations and ideas can be easily captured, tracked, exposed, and appropriated from the circulation of digital material which simultaneously feeds capitalist media assembly lines and alternative economies. Through Media Lounge programming we aim to foster a dialog centered on emerging artistic sensibilities that mix art and a politics of representation amid a transforming sociopolitical landscape.
Session
This two hour session will include 6-8 artists presenting work to help build a multi-threaded conversation that encourages interaction between the presenters and attendees. No written papers will be read. We expect the participants to briefly show/present the work and ideas related to the theme and to participate in the ensuing discussions.
Description
This panel will consider the impact that networked media, interactivity, and digital culture have had on cinema and performance. In particular, recent historical examples demonstrate that new uses of technology facilitate political communication, organization, resistance, protest, and overthrow. We seek new media artists, performers, filmmakers and documentarians to present work that engages, explores or responds to this context. Works may address but are not limited to any of the following:
All media will be considered, but we are particularly interested in new media works that engage performative and cinematic conventions in new ways. Works must be able to be presented digitally or performed at CAA 2016 in Washington DC. Preference given to the following forms: new media, digital art, queer art, feminist art, activist based art, performance art and digital nonfiction.
Additionally, we are interested in receiving proposals for a durational performance piece to occur during this session and possibly to extend over the whole day. The anticipated schedule is to have workshops from 9-11am, 12-2pm, 3-5pm with hour breaks from 11-12pm and 2-3pm.
This call is for a 2-hour New Media Caucus sponsored session in the CAA Media Lounge.
Participants must be NMC members.
There are no membership fees. JOIN NMC.
Participants do not need to be CAA members.
NMC does not fund conference fees, transportation, or hotels for participants.
Presenting in a Media Lounge session does not disqualify you from chairing a panel or serving as a panelist in another session at CAA.
Please submit work sample(s) through our Google Form here: https://goo.gl/85QhmE by August 31, 2015. Questions may be sent to NMCopencall@gmail.com
Selection Process and Criteria
A jury of four New Media Caucus members will consider the submissions in a broad context of our overall theme that looks for connections between the works. Works and presenters will be selected based on their ability to contribute to creating a dynamic, diverse, and interactive new media experience. Notifications will be made by the end of September.
Publishing Requirement
Media-N Journal of the New Media Caucus will publish a conference edition after the CAA conference, showcasing conference proceedings sponsored by the NMC. To this end, Individuals are required to submit materials for the journal edition. Media-N offers flexibility regarding how to achieve the publishing requirement. Once invitations are accepted, the Editor-in-Chief of Media-N will contact the chair(s) to further discuss and plan for the publishing requirement. All materials for publication must be completed by mid-April after the conference.
Definitions
ARTspace is a conference within the conference that is tailored to the interests and needs of artists but is open to all attendees. ARTspace is organized by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee.
The Media Lounge is a space for innovative new media programming in conjunction with ARTspace at the College Art Association’s Annual Conference.
The New Media Caucus is a College Art Association Affiliate Society and an international non-profit association formed to promote the development and understanding of new media art.
Intersections: Cinema, Performance, Networked Media, and Politics
Venue: College Art Association Conference, Media Lounge
Exhibit Date: February 6, 2016 @ CAA Conference in Washington, D.C.
Deadline to Enter: 8/31/15
Entry Fee: FREE
Eligibility: Open to all artists ages 18+.
The New Media Caucus is programming a session for the ARTspace Media Lounge entitled Intersections: Cinema, Performance, Networked Media, and Politics, under the theme of VISIBLE/INVISIBLE at CAA 2016 in Washington, DC.
Theme
This year’s theme, VISIBLE/INVISIBLE explores the legacy of identity and representation politics, considered in the context of our present culture where individuals, organizations and ideas can be easily captured, tracked, exposed, and appropriated from the circulation of digital material which simultaneously feeds capitalist media assembly lines and alternative economies. Through Media Lounge programming we aim to foster a dialog centered on emerging artistic sensibilities that mix art and a politics of representation amid a transforming sociopolitical landscape.
Session
This two hour session will include 6-8 artists presenting work to help build a multi-threaded conversation that encourages interaction between the presenters and attendees. No written papers will be read. We expect the participants to briefly show/present the work and ideas related to the theme and to participate in the ensuing discussions.
Description
This panel will consider the impact that networked media, interactivity, and digital culture have had on cinema and performance. In particular, recent historical examples demonstrate that new uses of technology facilitate political communication, organization, resistance, protest, and overthrow. We seek new media artists, performers, filmmakers and documentarians to present work that engages, explores or responds to this context. Works may address but are not limited to any of the following:
- Groupthink and Mob Mentality as Public Performance
- Political Performance of Protests, Demonstrations, Riots, and Race as Amplified National Conversation
- Tactical Media Networking — Social Media to Create Toolkits to Distribute Methods and Means of Resistance, Crowdsourced and Collaborative Resistance
- Arab Spring, Use of Social Networks as Public Protest, Ethics of Twitter, Tactical Social Media
- Washington D.C. as “Site,” the 2016 Presidential Race, Instagram Accounts of Politicians
- Standards of Decency, Body Policing, Youtube as Theater, Persona and Celebrity
- Performance of Racial and Gender Identities in the Age of Avatars and Virtual Bodies, Politics of Virtual Environments
- Duration, Endurance and Persistence in Performance and Cinema
- Expanded or Exploded Cinemas that Incorporate Crowdsourced and Networked Footage
- The Bleeding of Cinema Into Theater, Performance Art, Sculpture, Installation
- Using Technology to Expose the Mechanics and Processes of Cinema, Cinema as Performance Collaborator
- Fictive Documentary as a Means for Constructing Truth
All media will be considered, but we are particularly interested in new media works that engage performative and cinematic conventions in new ways. Works must be able to be presented digitally or performed at CAA 2016 in Washington DC. Preference given to the following forms: new media, digital art, queer art, feminist art, activist based art, performance art and digital nonfiction.
Additionally, we are interested in receiving proposals for a durational performance piece to occur during this session and possibly to extend over the whole day. The anticipated schedule is to have workshops from 9-11am, 12-2pm, 3-5pm with hour breaks from 11-12pm and 2-3pm.
This call is for a 2-hour New Media Caucus sponsored session in the CAA Media Lounge.
Participants must be NMC members.
There are no membership fees. JOIN NMC.
Participants do not need to be CAA members.
NMC does not fund conference fees, transportation, or hotels for participants.
Presenting in a Media Lounge session does not disqualify you from chairing a panel or serving as a panelist in another session at CAA.
Please submit work sample(s) through our Google Form here: https://goo.gl/85QhmE by August 31, 2015. Questions may be sent to NMCopencall@gmail.com
Selection Process and Criteria
A jury of four New Media Caucus members will consider the submissions in a broad context of our overall theme that looks for connections between the works. Works and presenters will be selected based on their ability to contribute to creating a dynamic, diverse, and interactive new media experience. Notifications will be made by the end of September.
Publishing Requirement
Media-N Journal of the New Media Caucus will publish a conference edition after the CAA conference, showcasing conference proceedings sponsored by the NMC. To this end, Individuals are required to submit materials for the journal edition. Media-N offers flexibility regarding how to achieve the publishing requirement. Once invitations are accepted, the Editor-in-Chief of Media-N will contact the chair(s) to further discuss and plan for the publishing requirement. All materials for publication must be completed by mid-April after the conference.
Definitions
ARTspace is a conference within the conference that is tailored to the interests and needs of artists but is open to all attendees. ARTspace is organized by CAA’s Services to Artists Committee.
The Media Lounge is a space for innovative new media programming in conjunction with ARTspace at the College Art Association’s Annual Conference.
The New Media Caucus is a College Art Association Affiliate Society and an international non-profit association formed to promote the development and understanding of new media art.
Destroyer of Dreams, Or, Container of All Future Meaning
Dates:
Thu Mar 13, 2014 18:00 - Sun Apr 13, 2014
Location:
Davidson,
North Carolina
United States of America
United States of America
It is with great pleasure that the Davidson College Art Galleries presents Destroyer of Dreams, Or, Container of All Future Meaning, an exhibition featuring work by Darren Douglas Floyd.
Floyd has spent the last two years as Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Davidson College, immersing students in the field of digital art. His course offerings have added innovative digital art curricula to the College, including experimental video, animation, and 3-D printing. As his tenure comes to a close, we are pleased to be the premier venue for this new body of work.
The works in Destroyer of Dreams, Or, Container of All Future Meaning are presented as a collection of related moments within a fragmented narrative. The title piece has been edited from 16mm film the artist has amassed over the past few years. Without processing or watching previous footage, Floyd continued to document his performances, building his narrative chronologically. The final work, 16mm color film transferred to video, with digital video and sound, tracks Floyd’s move from New York to Louisiana, and ultimately to North Carolina.
Throughout the work he candidly examines, or more aptly, scrutinizes his life, including various jobs, living situations, and predominantly, his relationships — with lovers, with his parents, and perhaps most significant to this body of work, with his own imaginary offspring. Destroyer of Dreams is articulated as a filmed letter intended for the artist’s future child, thus, the viewer is at once positioned as both the child as well as a voyeur; we are acutely aware that the letter is not addressed to us. The body of work presented is unique, challenging, beautiful, comical, depressing, and relatable — to anyone who has loved, hated, failed, and succeeded.
The Galleries extend heartfelt gratitude to Davidson College for the interest and commitment to digital studies on campus, and of course, to artist Darren Douglas Floyd, for his dedication to this project.
– Lia Newman, Director/Curator, Van Every/Smith Galleries
Floyd has spent the last two years as Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Davidson College, immersing students in the field of digital art. His course offerings have added innovative digital art curricula to the College, including experimental video, animation, and 3-D printing. As his tenure comes to a close, we are pleased to be the premier venue for this new body of work.
The works in Destroyer of Dreams, Or, Container of All Future Meaning are presented as a collection of related moments within a fragmented narrative. The title piece has been edited from 16mm film the artist has amassed over the past few years. Without processing or watching previous footage, Floyd continued to document his performances, building his narrative chronologically. The final work, 16mm color film transferred to video, with digital video and sound, tracks Floyd’s move from New York to Louisiana, and ultimately to North Carolina.
Throughout the work he candidly examines, or more aptly, scrutinizes his life, including various jobs, living situations, and predominantly, his relationships — with lovers, with his parents, and perhaps most significant to this body of work, with his own imaginary offspring. Destroyer of Dreams is articulated as a filmed letter intended for the artist’s future child, thus, the viewer is at once positioned as both the child as well as a voyeur; we are acutely aware that the letter is not addressed to us. The body of work presented is unique, challenging, beautiful, comical, depressing, and relatable — to anyone who has loved, hated, failed, and succeeded.
The Galleries extend heartfelt gratitude to Davidson College for the interest and commitment to digital studies on campus, and of course, to artist Darren Douglas Floyd, for his dedication to this project.
– Lia Newman, Director/Curator, Van Every/Smith Galleries
