Humans have always defined “intelligence” in relation to the material that we leave behind and how efficiently we create it. Whether the material in question is an Easter Island monolith or a discarded table made of particle wood, creating each was an intentional act that involved thought and time and bears marks of our sophistication. More recently, we have grown use to gauging our intelligence with numbers that assess everything from our level of psychological maturity to the person were most likely to marry. Though the precision of our numerical assessments is alluring, this approach ignores aspects of our physical intelligence that involve the coordination of complex movements, like a dancer or woodworker is used to making. Their kind of intelligence is intuitive and unquantifiable and this is what interests me: how the intuitive aspects of physical intelligence interact with material. I am specifically interested in how material can inspire an intuitive response from us and how, in turn, that response can guide the way that we edit material. My work demonstrates this interaction in several ways. In its first form, I demonstrate this with a twin-lens Yashicaflex and, more broadly, in the way that I use technology. Soon after being given this camera, I started to experiment not so much with how it should be used, but how it could be used. Instead of shooting photorealistically, I soon began to compose multiple exposures. I use the camera as a layering device, exposing images on top of each other in sequential order. The more I use this method to photograph, the more intuition plays a role in the process. Whether I am gauging the size of each exposure or layering a bouquet of colors on top of each other, the results are best when I allow the content to guide compositions. Using the camera in this way becomes a very physical act. To create a multiple exposure is to search for visual material in the caveats of an environment. This method requires sampling the surroundings so that shapes, tones, colors, textures and themes are complementary. Sampling so many material options while taking photos inspires new ideas (e.g., crafting new dimensions and proportions, animating objects, iconizing subjects), reminding me that the interaction of one person’s accumulated references during one particular material moment can ignite a variety of newness. As much as I may map out a multiple exposure, the final, layered image is usually surprisingly iconic as it creates depth and arrests time. My video also demonstrate the interaction of material and intuition. Unlike photography, they are composed after the footage has been shot. Working off of the belief that an image can be used in countless ways by countless people, I edit each so that the movie incorporates as much visual content as possible and, so as not to over saturate the product. Intuition can aid to assess and alter any material, whether visual or otherwise sensual. It is inspired by content that is in various stages of its existence and it is uniquely tuned to communicate with a diversity of people. It is detectable as an asset of physical intelligence and as a visual artist I am dedicated to using it as a means to bring broad clarification to the world around me. Andrew Shea |