Computers as Art - the artist replies

Last month I posted some pics of an exhibition I attended at Camberwell art college of some interesting ceramics of degraded computers and mice.

I received this reply from the artist - Jehan E. Haddad who is keen to point out that she is not anti-technology - which I may have implied in my earlier posting.

Dear Andrew,

First I would like to thank you for your interest regarding my work. Recently my sister came across your web-site by chance and told me about your article, so I thought I should write to you and thank you.

I am glad you attended and enjoyed the exhibition at Camberwell. It’s very kind of you to offer a space on your blog and to open a debate regarding the subject of my work.

You quoted a small part of my statement, which unfortunately doesn’t give the full meaning of the pieces. If I may I would like to seize the opportunity to explain the full concept of my work.

Laptops/computers have become an important means to store data but as powerful as they are, I believe that not only they hold a risk of loss of information due to hackers and computer viruses “the reason why my objects are eaten from within”, but also we have become too reliant on them that they diminish other aspects of our cultural heritage such as writing. Few people write letters nowadays and with it the voice of the handwritten letter is disappearing. Documenting and referencing has changed too. One seems to spend so much time making back ups in case of loss. Also I believe there will come a day when it will be hard or impossible to retrieve saved data because of the rapid change in the technological machinery, which would result in so much loss.

I am not against modern technology but I see a rapid advance that is not necessarily always for the best. I do admit the internet and computers have made communication much easer and faster.

Image No.2 is a purposely made beautiful object as laptops are but, I am also referring to the idea of received seductive and colourful emails and documents which quite often are concealed viruses. These I have portrayed as a lacy screen image yet at close viewing it is the names of viruses from 1960 to 2002.

I hope I have managed to explain my work further and once again thank you for your interest, hope to see you in future exhibitions.

Jehan E. Haddad