M.Romeo_NS Multimedia Works 2020-2023

 

Artist Night Shining‘s culmination of physical mixed media pieces will be shown DigiAna Studio in LIC on Saturday 24th. A newly released piece on show ‘BioMorphologies’ “The embodiment of the suffering of bio hybrid organisms”. The show will be hold until 7/15, for visiting pre appointment is required.

 

Artist Statement

My name is Mike Romeo, and I use the pseudonym ‘Night Shining’ for all my released multimedia works; these include live audio-visual performances, music, electronics, and visual artworks. The works being presented at DigiAna were produced throughout 2020 through 2023. The works range from hyper-synced audio-visual video pieces encased in custom digital frames, prints, sculptures, and a mixed media installation entitled ‘BioMorphologies’. 

Each piece plays with forms created from a mix of physically 3D scanned materials and generative algorithms and how they interact with audio signals and vice versa. The forms themselves are inspired by the convergence of the organic and synthetic materials and the manipulation of these elements by humans within the Anthropocene. Effects on Earth’s ecology due to anthropomorphic unabated climate change could itself be seen as a sort of global-scale experimentation. Additionally, the potential for future geo-engineering and / or direct manipulation of genetics with technologies like CRISPR. 

These types of themes are used as a catalyst for my work. I like to think of my creative output as an artistic form of cybernetics; the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things. The lines between mechanical systems and natural ones are becoming increasingly blurry. 

A lot of creative inspiration derives from having grown up on Long Island, outside of New York City. The stark contrast of the beautiful natural areas that surround the island and the industrial runoff of the city is stark. There is a lot of folklore around the military remnants of Montauk that interests me, also Nicola Tesla was experimenting with wireless electricity out there, and even Brookhaven labs near where I grew up are shrouded in secrecy. 

There is also a very real history of toxic waste plumes left over from the military-industrial sites that employed past generations that have caused untold amounts of health effects on the population and environment. It all very much inspires the darker undertones of my work I’d have to say. 

The following are descriptions of some of the pieces on display at DigiAna:

‘BioHybrid Morphologies’ is an audio / physical reactive sculpture that is self-randomized. Inspired by entities that consist of both biological and artificial constituents, for instance, one or several living microorganisms attached to one or various synthetic parts.

‘Metempsychosis’ is a video album released digitally and physically in a custom made digital frame. It is composed of scanned 3D objects that are digitally manipulated and synced to the audio elements.

‘Morphologies’ an algorithmically manipulated hyper-synced audio / visual digital sculptures that activate upon a viewer’s proximity to the piece. The work is a real-time generative software piece that subtly randomizes each form upon activation.

@_nightshining

night-shining.com

Statement by Seungjin Lee, DigiAna Group organizer

What is Random? Could people make a pure random system? Is it made by a hyper calculated algorithm system or naturally and incidentally happening? Are there any differences between human imagination and mechanically generated creation? What will our future look like, if we keep developing technology and being involved in our daily life? How can we define ourselves as mechanically made or natural organisms?

Recently I learned about Levi Strauss’s Structuralism theory, the idea that every system, including a social system, has a particular structure. This is a different theory of our past made modernism society’s motivation based on Hegel’s rationalist philosophy and Sartre’s existentialist philosophy. I think these days our society seems more structured as artist Mike Romeo mentioned. The line between mechanical systems and natural ones are becoming increasingly blurry. 

On Youtube, you can easily find many videos about people arguing that new AI technology takes part in creating people’s jobs such as Chat Gpt VS Writer, Dali2 VS Painter and lots of styles of AI VS designer, musician, movie even video game maker. For me that is not important, final aspects made by machine or human, still both are just randomly positioned materials available to be recognized by human senses. Besides, we can enjoy both sides comparing, fusion ideas and redefining those phenomena. This is my basic vision of DigiAna Studio function for people to share and discuss on these themes and I am honored to have time together with Mike’s art works perfectly matched in this space. 

To prepare for this time, he showed his already made works to me. I was happy to see material framed “Morphologies: Print version” since I had only seen his audio visual performance show so far, which gave me a physically touchable art work experiment. I also agree with his motivation of making “_NS Audio Frame”, wanting to provide his music to listeners more personally and directly instead of through digital platforms. “Form Studies” reminded me of the android shown on Alien(1979 film by Ridley Scott) who sheds white blood even though he was made as a machine, humans might make more of this kind of half machinery and half organism life shape from now on, so this shape might be our descendants. In scenes from “Metempsychosis”, an audio / visual album, you can see a sort of ether aspect through 3D modeling eternal landscape and organ shape collaboration. Until the show opening he has used DigiAna Studio as his art making space, I am excited to see “Morphologies” finally finished work and happy to provide this studio for his creative work process.