Altered Eigenstates

eigenstate: (n) derived from the German word "eigen", meaning "inherent" or "characteristic", an eigenstate is the measured internal state of an object possessing quantifiable characteristics

In our technology-driven society, we have access to greater information and more choices in how we live than in the past. While there are advantages to this, each of us is forced to digest more complex ideas and interact with increasingly complicated systems and networks. This complexity is growing exponentially, catalyzed by the combinatorial innovation of today’s emerging technologies. While some people are adept at dealing with this change, ever greater numbers are struggling to cope with mental and emotional health challenges in part due to the pressures from these changes.

In this project I explore the psychological spaces that many of us sometimes inhabit, from calm to unsettled, in our overwhelming environments. Like the paintings of Francis Bacon, these images attempt to pare down the complexities of human existence and look behind the facade for the dual energy of pain and ecstasy that simmer underneath.

The subjects in the photographs are contacted via social media or through acquaintances, and invited to collaborate on the project. The resulting images are created by working blind in a completely dark studio. Light is poured by hand, as if using a paint brush, to illuminate and paint the subjects. This process enables chance to play a role in the collusion of darkness and light to unmask the subjects’ internal states into a multidimensional likeness of the subject, while simultaneously frustrating our confidence in reading the deconstructed portrait as a traditional image of the sitter.

The image titles are created using artificial intelligence to reflect the increasing complexity of our lives. The AI algorithm looks at the final image and develops a prose poem to share its computationally derived impression of the photograph.