Today we’d like to introduce you to KT Duffy.
KT, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in the Midway area on the Southwest side of Chicago. As a kid and into my teenage years, I was always very interested in art, which I pursued through college. In college, I also studied social work and did a number of Americorps programs. Looking back, I think I was most interested in the social justice oriented readings and theory offered in the social work degree. I did a lot of non-profit and arts-related work after college and then moved to Baltimore to get my MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I lived in Baltimore for about four years total, teaching at MICA and Towson University while also working at an app startup called Wham City Lights and participating in the art community outside of work in a number of different ways. I moved back to Chicago two years ago for a tenure-line professorship at NEIU, where I manage the area of Art & Technology. I married my partner, my best friend from grad school, Ali Seradge, in June of 2017 at the Adler Planetarium. SPACE WEDDING! We now live in Ukranian village with our dog Frank.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I suppose I make a bit of everything! I create installations, animations, sculptural pieces, prints, web works and sometimes drawings. Regardless of what I am making, the processes are heavily computer generated. My computer is my favorite art-making tool and I am always finding new ways to use it to create art. A lot of the physical sculptural aspects of my work are created via automation or digital fabrication.
The forms in my work are inspired by biomimicry. I am really interested in the simulation of natural systems, patterns, and forms via software, coding, and artificial intelligence. I think a lot about how my body came to be, in that my physical form is a collection of code (DNA) and mushy living material inhabited by colonies of bacteria and other squiggly things. I think a lot about the fact that I live in this body, and walk around with it as this weird meat suit that acts out my feelings and helps me open cans. I think a lot about other life forms on this planet and how often times we (humans) treat them as less than. I think a lot about how humans do this to other humans who present some type of difference from the “normative group.” Not only do I think about these things, but I also read about them and research A LOT in the forms of sci-fi novels, academic textbooks, and personal narratives off all types of different experiences of life on this planet.
For me, what this thought and research culminate into are forms that, for example, mimic what you might see under a microscope, or the curve of an elbow, the fold of a hip, or the fuzz of a caterpillar. I make a lot of singular pieces that reference a variety of bio-forms, which exist as both digital and physical structures. From these, I create “mashups” which serve as a metaphor for anything with a body. Usually, these forms have some type of video housed within them or projected onto them. These videos serve as a reference to what could be just under the surface of a body.
When people look at my work, I want them to think about their bodies. I want them to think about the stuff that is inside their bodies. I want them to consider how all the other people in the room are made of the same stuff, and how the birds outside the window have DNA markers that are not all the different from their own. I want them to consider how a series of genetic mutations led us to look and behave as the humans we are now. I want them to consider all the circumstances in the environment had to be just perfect for that glitch to become advantageous. I want them to how it all could have been different if those conditions were not just right. I want the awe and the scale of the work to inspire them to consider how they can still use their humanity to create a difference.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I think the artist role in society has always been to reflect back the “times”. I think what has changed is the actual definition of what we constitute as artists. We have so many tools and outlets for citizens to share information and create visual content now that anyone with a smartphone can participate in this visual economy, that perhaps was limited to folks with access to specific social groups or institutions. So, within the broadened space, I think it’s important for those who identify as artists to sift through the saturation of content and images to get timely and important stories/messages/ideas out into the world.
Local, national and international events and issues definitely affect my work, or more accurately the way I approach my work. As a visual artist, I don’t think that the objects I create have the capacity to on their own hold such a serious discourse. So, I tend to look at the other ways in which I can make an impact in pushing back on the incredibly troubling times we find ourselves in. I think all of us have privileges, skills, space and time that we can offer up in service of fostering urgent narratives. A lot of times, I don’t necessarily have a personal connection to an issue or a story, so that is why I do what I can with what I have to create space for these stories to be told, because stories really, really matter. It’s what allows us to see each other’s humanity.
So, on top of my visual practice, I also have a social practice that strives to demystify coding and technology for creatives, with a focus on creatives underrepresented in tech-based careers. I strongly believe in this medium’s capacity for the promotion of alternative narratives and identity construction and for its ability to mediate power. With this practice, I facilitate coding workshops and curate discussions that cultivating spaces for accessible conversations where knowledge can be shared outside of a hierarchical structure.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I exhibit my work nationally at galleries and museums. I just finished up a two-person show at the South Bend Museum of art, as well as a solo show at Terrault Gallery in Baltimore. Folks can see images of the works from this show on my website ktduffy.com.
I do a lot of coding and tech workshops at schools and maker spaces, so folks can support me by bringing me into their institutions for workshops!
Contact Info:
- Website: ktduffy.com
- Phone: 7732066499
- Email: ktduffyinc@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ktduffyincorperated
Image Credit:
KT Duffy
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