Art + Technology: John Gerrard

John Gerrard is best known for his sculptures and installations, which typically take the form of digital simulations, displayed using real-time computer graphics. Gerrard’s works concern themselves with the nature of contemporary power by exemplifying the mass structures and vast networks of energy which materialised during the twentieth century. Gerrard’s method of production involves taking tens of thousands of digital photographs and then recreating a scene with them by implementing the same technology used for video games. The result is seemingly realistic but artificial in actuality. Such virtual technology has become standard in the videogames industry, which evolved from US military simulation exercises; yet it has rarely crossed over into the visual arts.

Associate professor of visual culture at Montclair State University Charlotte Kent, PhD, has a particular interest in historical frameworks for art practices, with a research focus on contemporary digital culture and the absurd. She writes for assorted magazines and various academic journals. She is an Editor-at-Large for the Brooklyn Rail.