FELT Zine arrives this week with 918 🚨 Watch the Interactive Issue HERE featuring 918 and read the interview below:
FELT presents 918, an anonymous digital artist combining elements of existential, philosophical aspects with their own explorations of alienation and dissociation. Issue 48 incorporates dynamic sculptures that seem pulled out of the renaissance period alongside cherubs and figures taking poses in sprawled-out, repetitive interior designed rooms. 918‘s work often presents “a way to escape from the mundane suffering of everyday life without trying to cover it up with some kind of brittle, shiny optimism.”
What inspired you to become a 3D artist?
918: “3D Art appeals to me because it looks very artificial and when the artificial aspect is emphasized, it can induce feelings of alienation and dissociation. I was inspired by 3D artists like Pure Honey, Void Global, Lou Kessler, Olga Mikh Fedorova, Pastelae, etc. (and many of the artists featured in Felt Zine over the years) to try my hand at making some 3D art of my own. Using a technology for something other than its intended purpose is interesting to me, so I settled on using an interior design software called Sweet Home 3D to stage and render my art. It’s also an inexpensive and not very time consuming pastime, which makes it something I can viably accomplish while also working 40 hours a week to pay for rent and food.”
In one sentence, how would you describe your sense of aesthetic?
“Effective art should cause a change in the mindset and emotional state of the audience.”
Was there a particular creative reasoning that inspired you to work with 3D models of sculptures for this collection?
“The initial inspiration was actually the lizard/gecko pattern used as a texture in each of these images. I saw the pattern in a Wikipedia article about Wallpaper Groups that Brian Murphy (also a digital artist) shared on Facebook. The first image that came to mind when I saw that pattern was an octagonal room tiled with the pattern that had a bowl of liquid and statue of a woman holding a cup in the middle of it. I searched for 3D scans of statues and found a website that offers 3D scans of sculptures from various museums for 3D printing purposes. After I found a “woman holding a cup” statue that fit with the image in my head, I browsed through the other available sculptures and picked out scenes of decadence and violence that appealed to me (probably because, as an American, I find them relatable).”
What motivated your choice of working with a blue and yellow color palette for this collection of works?
“I’ve been interested in limited, heavily saturated color palettes recently. As for why I went with blue and yellow specifically, I’d have to say it’s from a childhood memory I have of seeing the cover of a children’s book with a blue and yellow striped dragon on it (My Father’s Dragon). I have no idea why the blue and yellow stripes had such an impact on me. If I go back and look at the artwork now, there’s nothing particularly noteworthy about it. But for some reason, seeing blue and yellow interlaced like that made an impression on my young mind.”
What music were you listening to while creating these artworks?
“I’ve been listening to a lot of footwork/juke (RP Boo, DJ Nate, DJ MC, Jana Rush, DJ Clent, Jlin, DJ Rashad). I find this type of complex, repetitive electronic music induces a trance-like, somewhat dissociative state that I enjoy.”
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Written By: Dev Moore