In the interview with Charles Coen many of the artist's ideas and techniques were analyzed. For example the series called "Buff" was brought up a number of times and observed for its artistic ideas. The idea of using silhouettes posed in provocative ways to create a disconnect between figure and negative space, indeed the figure and negative space were one in the same for most of the series. Another subject of discussion was the series focused on time, in which silhouettes were placed instead of actual figures. The series focuses on subjects such as time and isolation. The artists talked about the idea of interactivity and how the use of hollow methods of "interactivity" in exhibits only acts to isolate the viewers further from the artwork.
What I got out of the interview was a greater understanding of the ways contemporary artists use deep seated themes and ideas in subtle ways in their pieces. In forms that can be perceived as minimalistic or even chaotic can be very focused on the very faithful portrayal of a very specific theme. The idea of disconnecting the viewer from a piece in order to make statements on the nature of time and isolation become very effectively communicated with the use of focused imagery. The thing that I will take away most is the treatment of negative space in the "Buff" collection. I've always been fascinated with the idea of negative space and the use of cropping in the picture plane. The idea of using the frame and cropping to show the viewer the most honest idea of what you want them to see. The idea of negative space as the figure or focal point of a piece of art is a rather interesting idea, it very bluntly calls the viewers attention to the use of negative space, and seems to pose several questions about the way negative space is created in art. He is literally sculpting a piece of art around the negative space created by the silhouette, and using such a strong provocative image makes for even stronger messages.
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