Alexandra Hass
Technological Visibility
I am exploring the visual possibilities of repurposing the flatbed scanner as an artistic tool of expression. Nature’s processes inform the scanning methodology and Nature’s materials are used as the subject matter within the scans. The original premise of this strategy was oppositional — Technology vs. Nature — but has evolved to encompass the discovery of the overlaps and similarities that exist between biology and technology.
In optimal conditions, the flatbed scanner produces images that interpret three-dimensional objects in a singular way — mixing high-definition reality wherever the object touches the scanner bed, and shifting to a soft-focus diffusion for the rest of the object. There is no single focal point; the scanner’s movable carriage (containing the light source and light receiving aperture) moves across the flatbed evenly. These pleasing qualities combined with the plants’ inherent sensuality create images that are easy to access, yet somewhat unnatural. The visceral pleasure in the simple process of seeing is brought to the forefront by a shift in visual interpretation heightening the difference between our own optical sense and that of the scanner.
Additional exploration of the flat bed scanner has entailed systematically reducing, removing and replacing many of the technical requirements and supports that allow it to function optimally. The methods of intervention were chosen through investigations into the underlying principles and logic of Nature. The specific focus of the research has been in discovering what role chance through calculation and through liberating accidents plays in creating, amending and destroying visual form.
SolarFlairs digital print on archival paper 30 inches x 14.5 inches 2008
EarlyBurst digital print on archival paper 65.5 inches x 43.5 inches 2008