what that means to you and how it differs from traditional conceptual art? How
does this label reflect your artistic philosophy and approach?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
KD:<\/strong> I think it\u2019s easier to understand the label by talking about what it\u2019s not. For <\/p>\n\n\n\n K:<\/strong> Your art seems to challenge conventional perceptions and expectations, KD:<\/strong> I think that challenging conventional perceptions and expectations is one of the best K:<\/strong> Can you walk us through your creative process when developing interactive KD:<\/strong> Sneaky how you\u2019ve woven compliments into these questions – thank you. I briefly K:<\/strong> Humor appears to be a central element in your work, serving both as a tool of KD:<\/strong> \u201cHumor \u2026 as a tool of engagement and a form of protest against elitism in <\/p>\n\n\n\n K: Your art often extends beyond the confines of the gallery, inviting people from KD:<\/strong> I think that interactive art, like humor, is a great strategy for making art more For more from Kyla, check her artworks @kyladooley on Instagram or at kyladooley.com! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,21,7,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collaboration","category-news","category-projects","category-student"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=904"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1138,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904\/revisions\/1138"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
explanation purposes, I would argue the opposite of a conceptually-based practice
would be a material practice – as in, someone whose work derives from developing
their work hands-on, eg. sketching out forms, testing a medium\u2019s formal capacities,
making lots of things and seeing what sticks, etc. My process, on the other hand, is
largely premeditated before I physically intervene with any of the material I intend to
use. I start with an idea, like \u201cWhat if a printer was voice-activated?\u201d or \u201cWhat if there
was art in the stairwell?\u201d and then cater the medium and process to supporting that
idea. That said, I\u2019m not working in a strictly purist conceptual art approach wherein
every detail is laid out ahead of time. I\u2019ll typically have the base idea and then get my
hands on the material and try an approach then come back to the idea, think about
what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not, iterate the material again, and continue this process
until I\u2019m (mostly) satisfied with the work. Alas, \u201cconceptually-based\u201d is the least
pretentious and most accurate term I\u2019ve come to refer to my practice with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/ThePrinter1-1-1-800x1200.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
inviting viewers to engage with ordinary objects in unexpected ways. What
drives you to explore these unconventional approaches, and what do you
hope viewers take away from interacting with your pieces?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
capacities of art (and maybe even one of the qualities that makes something art at
all). If you take the piece I did with the printer as a case study, the reason that piece
works is because I\u2019ve developed an unusual interaction around the object. A printer
that sits in an office is just a printer, but a printer that sits on a ten-foot-tall plinth and
prints out cheeky responses at the beck and call of the audience is a special
experience. It\u2019s unusual and surprising and because of that, gets us thinking and
considering the object with a fresh set of eyes.
For me, it\u2019s a game of push and pull between the expected and unexpected. The
work needs to have some point of recognizability that makes it approachable but in
the same act, do something unusual and extraordinary that sets people out of their
routine.
Each piece has its own political agenda, but broadly speaking, I hope people can
walk away from my art with a renewed sense of the malleability of the world around
us. As artists, we\u2019re in one of the few industries where play is not only encouraged,
but required for the job. It\u2019s a massive privilege to be in that head space and
something I hope I can share even if it\u2019s just for a moment through an art encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
art pieces like “the Printer” or “Fish Move in Three Dimensions”? How do you
blend humor, technology, and conceptual elements seamlessly in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
touched on my process above so I\u2019ll focus on the latter half of this question.
Working with each of these individual components – humor, technology, conceptual
elements – was\/is rarely a conscious decision. I don\u2019t think we have much say in the
kind of art we make. And by that I mean, I don\u2019t think we have much control in what
we\u2019re interested in. I don\u2019t think I could force myself to be interested in painting if I
tried (though ironically the endeavor in and of itself could be an interesting art
project\u2026). I\u2019m interested in the things that I\u2019m interested in, and I\u2019m gonna make art
that I think is interesting. For me, those endeavours happen to be described as
conceptual and playful but these aren\u2019t attributes I willfully chose one day.
However, I will say, that I have very consciously chosen to put the art first when
making art. I realize this sounds like a redundant statement, but I think there\u2019s a big
push in contemporary art right now to linguistically proclaim virtuosity in art. Aka, the
quality of the art has become inferior to the way you\u2019re writing and talking about it. I
loathe this condition. If an artwork is heavily relying on a written statement to
communicate its \u201cmeaning\u201d then the text has superseded the necessity of the
artwork at all. At that point, you may as well just read an essay on the topic since the
art itself isn\u2019t contributing anything.
Within my own practice, I have to be excited about the art as art. If it\u2019s not interesting
to me then why the hell would anyone else care about it? And respectively, I grow
tired of things pretty easily, so that standard of interesting is always in flux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
engagement and a form of protest against elitism in contemporary art. How do
you navigate the balance between humor and deeper conceptual themes in
your art?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
contemporary art\u201d – damn, I\u2019m gonna steal that line for my next artist statement (I\u2019m
only half kidding). This is a really thoughtful question and insightful analysis. I don\u2019t
think I\u2019ve ever approached a work with humor at fear of it being disregarded as
thematically unsubstantiated because of such qualities. Humor is complicated and
nuanced and that complexity is often prime material to navigate a piece around
conceptually. A good joke is usually a good artwork.
A friend recommended I watch the movie Brazil a couple of months ago (it was
incredible and I would highly recommend it) and afterwards I was reading a review of
the film that cited it as \u201ca superb example of the power of comedy to underscore
serious ideas, even solemn ones\u201d; it was a really validating moment for my practice.
So I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s a balancing act, so much as a matter of ensuring the humor is
supporting the concept and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/research.ecuad.ca\/bgml\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/FishMoveInThreeDimensions1-1-1-800x1200.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
diverse backgrounds to join a conversation. How do you see the role of
interactive art in fostering community engagement and dialogue, particularly
in today’s digital age?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
accessible to a broader audience. As you mentioned above, the art world is
ridiculously elitist. Artworks are put behind literal and metaphorical walls and
described in unnecessarily complicated art world jargon; it all sends a very clear
message about who is welcome in those spaces. It\u2019s uncomfortable staring at a
lukewarm oil painting feeling like you don\u2019t get it. But when an artwork is interactive,
there\u2019s immediately an entry point to engage with the work that takes precedence
over the forlorn quest to \u201cget it.\u201d And then once you\u2019ve sustained engagement, you
may actually have a shot at conveying some idea\/experience\/dialogue. I\u2019m not
saying making art interactive is the only\/best way to do this (in fact there\u2019s a lot of
shitty interactive art that doesn\u2019t achieve this) but I do think it\u2019s a particularly pertinent
and effective method, especially within the state of our attention economy.
I\u2019m also a firm believer you can make your work accessible to a broad audience
without sacrificing complex ideas. An elegant example of this duality is Nick Cave\u2019s
Soundsuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n