Artist Statement

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by: Tom Estlack - Friday, January 7, 2022

I am interested in creating artworks that persuade someone to interact, participate, and explore. My artworks are often like children's toys, synthesizing kinetic sculpture, music, painting, lighting effects, and cinematic qualities. I want to create a link to the psyche¹ by addressing the complex nature of how we experience the world.

I learned early in life that art could be a way to connect with people. Chronic health issues placed limits on my social interactions with peers. So, I spent a lot of time by myself, making masks, caricatures, music, prosthetic makeups, and computer graphics programs. The artifacts I produced became a means by which I could entertain people. As a result, my work now evokes a sense of tragicomic absurdity or discovery.

I am interested in the idea that our concept of "reality" is a construct we arrive at from collecting, interpreting, and synthesizing sensory information.² Reality is a unified field of paradoxes. Intrigued by the mysteries of the natural world and psychology, I incorporate ideas from fields associated with their study. Mechanical engineering, geometry, and UI/UX design play vital roles in developing kinetic sculpture. My interest in synesthesia³ and physics⁴ informs my sense of abstraction and the orchestration of works that include movement, sound, music, and visuals. The idea in architecture known as "Ephemeralization" (Fuller ⁵) mirrors the inventiveness of the biological world and, when applied to art-making, yields the ability to do more with fewer materials.

I have a range of areas I might be exploring at any time, making my art practice chaotic or experimental. But the result is that I want to create an experience like an emotional tuning fork. I want someone to feel energized by experiencing the work. Art making is playful. When someone interacts with a work of art, they can awaken to the present moment and share in that playfulness.

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1. Psyche, Carl Jung
2. Perception and Reality
3. Synesthesia
4. Physics
5. Ephemeralization

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