Samplers/Diagrams: Collecting and Transforming New Visual Narratives.
“Samplers / Diagrams” is a project that investigates the relationship between urban environments and artistic production. It explores how fragments of the city can be collected, transformed, and reintroduced into their original context, challenging conventional notions of authorship, process, and medium.
Using a portable scanner with a contact image sensor (CIS), I collect visual samples from the city. These samplers—pieces of images shaped by citizens through deliberate or incidental actions—are inspired by the concept of sampling in electronic music, where fragments of sound are synthesized and modulated to create new compositions.
Methodology
The process follows three key steps:
- Collection: Visual fragments are scanned directly from the urban environment.
- Reinstallation: The selected samplers are printed and reintroduced into the city, where they are subject to further modifications by their context or inhabitants.
- Documentation: A digital map tracks the location of the originals and their transformations, creating a database that records the evolution of these urban interventions.
Expanding the Concept
In addition to two-dimensional samplers, I incorporate three-dimensional elements captured through photogrammetry. These objects are further manipulated using 3D modeling software and printers. This extension reflects my interest in combining analog and digital methodologies to expand pictorial practices. The process raises critical questions about the role of technology in contemporary art:
- How can technological tools complicate and enrich artistic production?
- In what ways can the analog and digital converge to create hybrid forms of expression?
- What are the limits of technology in transforming everyday urban objects into art?
Artistic Outcomes
The project has resulted in hybrid works that merge urban fragments with painting. Notable examples include “The Dog” and “Marie”, which originated as scanned city samples and evolved into oil paintings on printed canvas. These pieces exemplify the intersection of recovery, transformation, and artistic production.
Theoretical Implications
“Samplers / Diagrams” not only examines the aesthetics of urban fragments but also engages with broader themes:
- Liminality: The project reflects on threshold spaces and the tension between the visible and the invisible within the urban fabric.
- Collaboration: It invites the participation of the city’s inhabitants, making them co-creators in the transformation of public space.
- Technological Mediation: By employing tools such as portable scanners and 3D modeling software, the work interrogates the impact of technology on artistic practices and the perception of space.
A Space for Dialogue
This project opens a dialogue about the possibilities of integrating urban environments into artistic practice, fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between art, technology, and public space. It invites both students and academics to reflect on the creative potential of their surroundings and consider how emerging technologies can redefine traditional artistic boundaries.
