Jaime Kennedy

In this series of collaborative images, I am investigating the dichotomy that exists between the natural systems that function within the world against the human systems that attempt to modify, control, and improve upon these natural systems of order.  These images investigate the underlying factors behind these conflicts, question the Western idea of progress, and examine the cause and effect relationships that these systems have upon one another.  They are influenced by anthropological writings, the history of technology and science, religious texts, philosophy, and direct observations.  The work is created from varying mediums including: handcrafted charcoal and ink drawings, gouache painting, sculpture, digital film, and photographic reference.

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Methodology

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The bird portraits contain a pen and ink drawing over a digital composite inkjet print on fine art watercolor paper.  Each “apparatus” element in the background instruction sheet is a Photoshop outline of a constructed sculpture.  There are typically 30-60 outlines per instruction sheet page.  The small black bird silhouettes are still images taken from slow motion flying videos that I created and included in the layouts.  The purpose of the hand drawn image is to add a “human touch” to the rigid computer generated grid that functions as the background.  Each pen and ink drawing is a redrawn replica of a mass distributed source image, which negates the “observation from nature”.  The function of each portrait is to show how the computer generated image and information is to be applied to the drawn subject.  The “nesting” images are a combination of drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital photography.  In the initial steps of the process, the instruction sheets used for each bird portrait is printed on newsprint, ran through a paper shredder, and then papier-mache’d onto a wire frame.  These sculptures are then photographed and digitally composited with the additional nature images.  Once the composite is complete, the image is then printed.  The nature elements, such as leaves and flowers, are then drawn or painted, scanned, placed back into the composite, and finally printed as an inkjet “photograph” on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Inkjet paper.