Synthetic Humph

Synthetic Humph is an abstracted landscape fabricated through a compilation of products that have been manufactured to stand-in for the natural world in all its various forms. The lush assemblage of reproductions is given life through the slow unveiling of an orchestrated collection of sound and movement. The tinny chirps of an electronic bird or comical dance of the quivering bunny serve as both a tribute to the world they reference and a reminder of how modest a representation they perform.

Like the plastic flower on the office desk Synthetic Humph falls well short of the splendor and complexity of the most humble slice of the natural world it characterizes. These shortcomings within our artificial stand-ins are fully present within the work. They are not downplayed or covered up but rather they are celebrated in and for their futile endeavors. The parody of their communal efforts could be summed up in faithful adage, go big or go home.

Collection of the Art Gallery of Guelph, Guelph ON