insideKENT Magazine Issue 58 - January 2017 | Page 35

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE:

LINDA SIMON

KENT-BASED ARTIST LINDA SIMON COMBINES HER LOVE OF TECHNOLOGY WITH HER PASSION FOR ART TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL, SKILFUL PIECES THAT ARE AS PLAYFUL AS THEY ARE FASCINATING.
Linda Simon next to“ Sleep Pattern( December 2015)”
How would you describe your art?
I use everyday items to create objects and installations that deal with the process of transformation. Sometimes I use self-tracking apps and wearable tech to capture data about myself which I then extract, sort and re-imagine as an aesthetic form. I’ m interested in our relationship with digital technology, especially the proliferation of‘ big data’ that is generated with every online interaction. Other inspiration comes from numbers, data and the desire to find order and pattern such as in the recent jigsaw‘ arrangements’.
What made you want to be an artist?
I was working in the IT sector( no surprise there) feeling stressed and disillusioned. I’ d dabbled with drawing and stained glass at evening class and wanted to take it further so enrolled on an Access course at UCA which was intense but brilliant. I learnt so many skills and from there progressed to a Fine Art degree graduating in 2013 after six years of part-time study. I love the freedom of being an artist. There are no rules – only those you create for yourself.
What is your favourite piece?
“ Equivalent VIII” which was made as a homage to one of my favourite artists, Carl Andre. It comprises eight different QR codes made from brown and white sugar cubes. All of them are functional QR codes and when scanned with a smartphone they each read“ Equivalent
“ Equivalent VIII”
VIII”. The Tate acquired the original“ Equivalent VIII” in 1972 and it caused an outcry at the time as it was made from household bricks and deemed a waste of money. It was quite fiddly to make and I wasn’ t sure until each code was completed whether or not it would actually scan – luckily they all did. The sugar cubes are a reference to the Tate gallery which was funded from money donated by Tate & Lyle.
You’ re clearly interested in technology. Do you think that art and technology can happily mix?
Yes, of course, and there are many arts organisations who support and provide a platform for arts and technology. As technology evolves so will the potential to create new and exciting art forms.
Is it the art or the tech that comes first when thinking of a new design?
It’ s a mix of both. I’ ve got a whole studio full of weird and wonderful experimental materials – teabags, floppy disks, sweets. It can take months or years for me to find the perfect use for a particular material. For instance,“ Sleep Pattern( December 2015)”, which documents my sleep during the course of one month, uses different coloured earplugs for periods of awake, light and deep sleep. I first had the idea to use earplugs years ago after I started wearing
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