Non Finito
‘Non Finito’ was produced as part of the John Kinross Scholarship to Florence in 2019 and is placed in the Royal Scottish Academy’s collection. The work is a self evolving data driven artwork -
A digital model of Michelangelo’s David is constructed using Instagram photos. The work utilises photogrammetry software, which analyses the spacial data in a series of images and attempts to generate a 3d model by stitching them together. The resulting model is dependent upon the number of photos uploaded to Instagram each month. The work has taken on a new meaning during the Coronavirus pandemic as museums are forced to close to the public and less photos are subsequently uploaded to social media. The digital David thus becomes corrupted and its surface simplified, a figure appearing trapped within a block of marble waiting to be carved and reminiscent of the ‘non finito’ style for which Michelangelo is known for. The work acts as an evolving archival object, continually transforming, mutating and degrading over time.
A digital model of Michelangelo’s David is constructed using Instagram photos. The work utilises photogrammetry software, which analyses the spacial data in a series of images and attempts to generate a 3d model by stitching them together. The resulting model is dependent upon the number of photos uploaded to Instagram each month. The work has taken on a new meaning during the Coronavirus pandemic as museums are forced to close to the public and less photos are subsequently uploaded to social media. The digital David thus becomes corrupted and its surface simplified, a figure appearing trapped within a block of marble waiting to be carved and reminiscent of the ‘non finito’ style for which Michelangelo is known for. The work acts as an evolving archival object, continually transforming, mutating and degrading over time.
