Contributing Artists - Jerry Hoyt
SPIRITED RUINS
Artist's Bio:
Jerry Hoyt is a kinetic sculptor living and working in the Boston area. Recently he graduated with distinction from the Massachusetts College of Art. His macabre sense of humor and a "backyard shed" aesthetic strive to remind us of and honor the puritanical belief that anything worth doing is worth suffering for (an idea that he could not fully understand until he spent several years as a basket salesman). His sculptures have appeared in several group shows dedicated to electronic and interactive media. He makes this invitation as a challenge to the viewers willingness to explore, "touch me and I'll touch you back".
Mr. Hoyt invites you to see other pieces of his work at http://public.surfree.com/jhoyt
Artist's Statement:
We have found a culture. Their society was very similar to ours, almost exactly so. There was a day that this culture was rational, benevolent, and kind. Thriving on logic, there was no accolade that could not be reasoned toward accomplishment. It was their control, all intended to have it. As the case of many who chose to live their life by logic, they would find logic even when there was none to be found. Elaborate rules as to what is logic, what is real and who has a right to be logical were constructed. Logic became circular, self perpetuating and truthless, logicless logic. The society that remained had been driven insane. They were living ghosts, haunting what remained with broken minds and weak bodies. Their spirits tried to rationalize the minds that ruined them
Technical Description
The piece has both a virtual component and a physical world component. When people in virtual space approach the mumbling man (fig1), he becomes more agitated, mumbling louder and gesticulating wildly. This action causes the lighted panels (fig 2) in the physical space to display a message concerning the mental state of the man.
Mr Hoyt also created Spirited Ruins computer graphics models for Ben Thompson and Dana Moser.