boredomresearch

Filling Untraversable Voids

boredomresearch is a collaboration between British artists Vicky Isley and Paul Smith, whose art benefits from a long lasting fascination in the mechanics of the natural world, explored using contemporary technology. Transcending boundaries between art, science and society, previous projects explore topics including: our cultural obsession with speed, the frontiers of disease modeling and the intricate biological signatures of neural activity. Through these and other works they opens channels for valuable dialogue and engagement between public and scientific domains.

As visual artists working with digital media, boredomresearch give form to unseen aspects of the natural world. Their fascination with digital tools as a means to explore, experiment and interpret the mechanics that escape immediate perception creates a strong synergy with the scientific disciplines. Free from limiting research frameworks, that impose false bounds to human inquiry, boredomresearch are able to think creatively about questions of scale, time and behaviour. As such, they unite disparate worlds, filling untraversable voids between the conceptual anchor points of contemporary knowledge. Their use of computer modeling binds their highly poetic work to current challenges of culture, nature and technology. In ‘Dreams of Mice: Ron, 19 October 2014 at 2:48am’ they reanimate a recording of a mouse’s dream to show both the unique biological fluttering while considering the encroachment of invasive technologies and in ‘AfterGlow’ they extend the bounds of epidemiology to show an infection transmission scenario that reveals the shocking beauty and complexity of a dangerous new form of malaria spilling into the human population.

Described by Susanne Jaschko as 'disarmingly approachable', their seminal project 'Real Snail Mail' challenges the most enduring social economic paradigms of speed and efficiency by providing a snail powered slow alternative to lightning fast email and revealing the folly of our destructive obsession with speed.

Underpinning all of boredomresearch’s practice is a strong feeling that we need to better understand the current interplay between science, technology, nature and society. “Now, more than ever before, we need to think differently. We need to ask big questions and not be afraid to challenge the forces and thought process that have brought instability into a world that has nurtured human culture for millennia.” (boredomresearch, 2016)

What is it about your studio space that inspires you?

Its close to the seafront and the New Forest so if we need some inspiration away from the screen we go for a long walk.

What is your favourite material to work with? How has your use of it evolved throughout your practice?

Open source software, we use Processing and Blender which both have great communities and libraries. Its great to not be tied into expensive licenses and we can use the software in our workshops for participants to learn about the mechanics of our work.

What themes do you pursue?

Diversity, natural environment, immersion, poetics.

If you weren´t an artist, what would you be doing?

being creative in another profession

What are your favourite places besides your studio?

The forest and walking in the mountains.

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