Nick LeJeune

Indiscrete Entities

February 20, 2023 - April 3, 2023

Artist talk and reception: Wednesday February 22, 2023 12:15pm-1:30pm

Artist statement: The ideas leading to my current body of work incorporate several concepts that I have been researching for a number of years. What is included in the gallery involves sound converted video. Individual video frames are converted to sound files and back through algorithmic code. This conversion process involves concepts such as abundance, collection, organization, reconfiguration, juxtaposition and aesthetic elevation. Recorded video and sound are processed in real time throughout the installation. This data is processed then projected back onto the space. The resulting imagery is subject to change by viewer interaction and site specificity.

Throughout my work, I am always searching for interesting connections between light and sound. These connections include the exploration into how sound is interpreted into visual information through open-source command line software. My earlier work took digital images and converted them into sounds which were then organized into sound compositions. More recently, I have been researching my process in-depth, including RAW data formats for both sound and image, the different variations and methods used in the data import process and how color is translated from audio information.

My installations convert raw information from the viewer into reconfigured visual data. It is done by utilizing one to several kiosks that allow viewer interaction through webcams and microphones. This touches on several technical topics such as raw data conversion, visualization, interpretation and color re-mapping.

The human/viewer element in the work touches on socially significant topics such as viewer interaction, digital surveillance, personal data, encryption, social behavior, inclusion, identity, anonymity, and social equalization. This is due to the requirement of viewer input, the choices the viewer makes within the gallery to interact with others or proceed alone and the total reconfiguration and similarization of the viewer's image as processed for sharing.