Laura Kim and Melanie Clemmons

Laura Kim’s work incorporates a variety of humorous, personal, and introspective ideas into a work that spans a pop cultural and diverse narrative. The majority of her gifs include a peek at herself as different characters or personas ,which speaks to her ability to use pop culture as an interpersonal link with the progression of time. In one of her gifs, there is a troll doll with color changing eyes, a computer opening and closing behind the subject, and a candle, which seems to correlate with childhood interests. The troll doll appears to be talking and almost in a trance, but the way the color changes illuminates an aspect that connects to the consumeristic nature of childhood. As a kid, commercials and friends influence our moves from troll dolls to Legos, but the way that many children start out dreaming and crying for purchases continues a world centered around consumerism. This gif not only shows a pop cultural rite of passage, but also a piece of history that has maintained a strong presence from generation X to generation Z. Much of the artist’s work incorporates repetition, which unifies the work, but through her use of emphasis in a variety of ways, she is able to keep the viewer curious. In most artistic work there is a clear range of influences that typically span from the masters to contemporaries, but in Laura Kim’s compositions, the viewer is taken on a unique journey.

Questions: Why is a blob important? Is there a theme that you feel spans throughout your work? When did your interest in digital art begin?

Melanie Clemmon’s work addresses the effects that technology has on society, while incorporating a large amount of references to the ever-changing world of pop culture. One of her videos, Sensory Garden, depicts a world of vibrant color and imaginative shapes that almost come out of the screen, but on this journey glitches dissolve the screen into horizontal beams of color. The glitches create a sense of disorder in an imaginatively organized setting where much of the path looks the same. It also inspires a narrative that shows how even in the most utopia minded places, there is always an undercurrent of torment. This piece is unique in the way that music plays a large part in harmonizing with the glitches to allow the viewer a sense of foreshadowing of the visual impact to come. I feel that the artist is trying to show the tug of war that occurs between idealism and realism in our current social environment. Much of the social climate today is built around the idealistic worlds we see on social media, but in reality influencer’s days are filled with many of the same chores and activities that everyone else endures. Melanie Clemmon’s compositions are impactful in the way they incorporate a language of visuals and sound to create a lasting impression.

Questions: What do you think has been the greatest change in society since technology? What led you to become a digital artist? In our current social climate, do you think that technology has inspired a change for the better or worse?