Mark C Slee & John Parts Taylor Crossings, 2024
Aluminum, LEDs, Physical Computing, Audio Recording, Headphones
108” x 45” x 64”
Presented by Heron Arts, Booth E12
Dancing in parasympathetic resonance to an original audio composition, Crossings by Mark C Slee and John Parts Taylor uses natural cadences and rhythms in motion to elicit a digital synesthesia – seeing sound and hearing light – via the layering of both composed and generative minimalist patterns.
About the artists:
Mark C. Slee’s visual art is built around structured systems of addressable LED lights. Drawing on a background in computer programming, he develops algorithmic patterns inspired by both organic and mathematical process, employing procedural motion, subtle variation, and evolving shifts in form and hue. The work deliberately avoids tropes of dystopian futures or mechanistic expressions of technical function. Rather, Slee explores the nuanced boundary where light exudes a vibrant personality, transforming perception into meaning. The meeting of the natural and synthetic worlds is a space of imaginative exchange — a vivid experience that tickles both mind and soul. These artworks are powered by custom software Mark has developed called Chromatik (formerly LX Studio).
John Parts Taylor was inspired by the huge technology stack used by analog VJ’s in the 1990’s and the transition to digital in the early 2000’s. Watching a friend’s technical rehearsal as a VJ for Radiohead at Coachella in 2004 brought a moment of epiphany as he felt the impact of subtle and restrained art that was also high tech. John has recently produced Resonance In Light 3 at Heron Arts in San Francisco and has engaged in “digital art forensics” to rescue multiple artworks by the likes of James Turrell and Piere Huyghe. In the late 2000s, John eventually brought his VJ and creative-tech skill set to international brands such as Red Bull and Heineken. He has a deep love of collaboration with fellow artists and the preservation of technical art.