Artist Statement: Dim Ambition

Dim Ambition comments on the constructed nature of our society through the use of nostalgic objects and familiar sounds; the piece also explores our relationship to the manufactured and structured elements of our cultural institutions. Inspired by The Giver of Names by David Rokeby, this piece attempts to contextualize our relationship with objects--in this case, through sound. The piece is inherently interactive, requiring the user to select objects from a pile to place upon a pedestal. Each object is equipped with an RFID tag; the user will then place the object on one of three sensor surfaces, creating different sounds. The objects were selected to reflect the artists’ personal views on nostalgia and childhood; however, the objects are also quintessentially “childhood” items. Each is ascribed a unique sonic signature constructed by referencing audio information often associated with these objects. However, the sounds have been distorted and warped by the artists; these alterations are intended to shift the response of the user from pure nostalgia to critical contemplation. Ultimately, play is the primary purpose of the piece--each object is one of childhood play--however, the user will then play with the objects in a new way. This merger of new and old experiences is intended to display the various ways in which we can be primed to learn (or even to deconstruct what one has learned) through objects of play.