Carrie Tomberlin

Artist Statement

Though more connected by ever - expanding technological means, there seems to be a growing disconnect between action and consequence. Cyber space aids us in the race against time, allowing us to socialize, learn, and create community on our own schedule, but this web of connectivity adds countless distractions and lessens the depth of our experiences. As we move away from the tangible to a brave new world of convenience and isolation, what happens to culture and the actual space we inhabit?

Gazing at our glowing screens, we feel more connected and more productive than ever, but with everyone talking at once, is anyone listening? Even the nouns used to describe our actions have changed, from talk, meet, experience; to text, twitter, facebook, and blog. This in turn shapes how we envision our place in the world, encouraged by consumer culture to think of “i” versus “we.”

In searching for ways to illustrate these contradictions, I began to think in narrative terms. Where a single experience alone could not fully express this disconnect, a series of moments taken out of context illuminate the absurd and the indulgent contrasted by the costs of such self-gratification. In creating these juxtapositions in triptychs, and in finding them in single images, my hope is to encourage a new vocabulary that includes connection, community, accountability, moderation, and sustainability.