RSS
My name is Lee Gainer and I am a visual artist in the metro DC area (USA). My work uses found and created imagery to visually analyze social rules, hidden messages, the psychology behind these ideas and beliefs, and how they alter our behavior. I am interested in exploring how the possible hidden messages in modern media (commercials, advertising, the web, billboards, etc.) can manipulate us in how we define things, such as what beauty should look like or what success should be. There are certain unwritten rules that many of us know and live by and I am curious as how they came to be.
For instance, many in the US know of the two month salary rule for buying diamond engagement rings. It turns out that this was a marketing scheme created by DeBeers in the early 20th century. They began with one month’s salary and then later upped it to two. Today, the two month’s rule has become a romantic tradition in America. A tradition where a man’s love for his future spouse is judged by the size of a shiny rock or rather, what is the bling factor. I created a print series and a book, both called Two Months’ Salary, that shows groups of engagement rings based on the average salaries of several occupations. I expected to see a difference in the rings according to their price tag but many of them look very similar. The 2 sets (husband and wife) of 20 prints are 10″ x 8″. The book is available through my website.
By Marianne Williams: I’m a photographer living in Los Angeles, CA. I work shooting film stills and various happenings, meanwhile hacking an ongoing series of portraits of LA music and artist friends called LA Daze. Candy colored images combine elements of the subject’s work and personality with pop culture, historical and religious iconography, exposed artifice, and movie references. Romak has helped a lot with brilliant make up skills and I get a lot of my props from Dapper Cadaver, it’s always a collaboration. I print an annual magazine style portfolio of the project and hope to release it as an art book at some point.
1. Cindergarden dons half porcelain doll face and half death mask inspired by traditional Mexican Dios de los Muertes dolls. A skeleton arm encircles her neck.
I’m fascinated by the way technology is changing and intertwining us as humans – a lot of my work explores the juxtaposition of organic, natural forms and mechanized technology. We’re literally wired and connected to each other in so many ways… I also am very intrigued by the way we weave computing into our daily lives. I find myself bound to machines more than I ever would have imagined possible. I’m interested in conveying that connectivity and dependence. I work with a variety of media and love working with metal and re-purposing objects. There’s something really exciting about taking something out of context and making it beautiful.
1. Connected // Global Brain Series // 2010 (Photo by Kevin Rolly)
‘Connected’ is a life-size self portrait made of steel, CAT5 and other data cables. It is the first piece in a new series called ‘The Global Brain’. I’ve been exploring how interconnected we’re becoming as technology is more entwined in our lives – both the positive and negative effects. This piece is the product of a variety of experiments in different mediums trying to express the power of information in a human context – to visualize how technology and information are shaping our collective human experience.
