Paul Catanese, Hybrid Media Artist
An image from my collection
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work focuses on the creation of hybrid art forms. I view these forms as an extension of the space of theatre; not as a mere spectacle of emotions, but hybrids so far extended they have been separated from the original. These forms retain characteristics of theatre by exploring the notion of language as an incantation, where relationships between disparate elements act to reveal a hidden, imaginary and persistent cosmology. My work functions as a conduit that spans physical and virtual spaces imbued with the intimacy of a Chinese scroll painting – the surface of which is akin to a vast electrified book powered by words, images and sounds.

Regarding Collection
Central to my creative process is the interplay of collection, experimentation and observation. I explore the threshold between complexity and intractability, contradictory relationships among serendipity, coincidence, chance and sympathetic magic. I collect objects for incorporation within my work and have become increasingly interested in learning more about the nature of collection within my art practice. Focusing on collection has generated a range of inquiries, which are also points of departure within my work:
perhaps there are objects that resonate, emitting a frequency or invisible signal
that in some individuals may cause a quivering of the skin or the awakening of an atavistic sense of smell that demands the predisposed to respond. Or, perhaps these objects represent something that has been lost – only in this case what the something is has also been lost and makes the matter that much more difficult. Thankfully, the collection process allows one to sift through objects until both what and where are instantly and simultaneously known. Or, perhaps these objects have some quietly haunted center that whimpers out and by luck or some unknown magnetism I am drawn to cross paths with them. Of course, perhaps it is merely a sympathetic magic applied after the fact – but like Cornell or Ernst, perhaps this sympathetic magic is a worthy source for creative alchemy.

It has become apparent to me that there is something unexplainable in the collection process – something intuitive, bordering on the prophetic. These lines of inquiry have led to an understanding of the moment of collection as one in which objects are caught from oblivion. As objects slip across an edge between worlds, I imagine that edge to function much like the depths of the seas. Objects are released and slowly float downward until they are beyond reach. Collection occurs during that brief time of slippage between worlds. Thus, a great deal of serendipity enters into collection, but also patience and a nose for the hunt. This is exactly why certain metaphors for searching and collecting are important to me: like dowsing, stargazing or fishing – because there is something about my curiosity that dangles about like a hook on the end of a line patiently catching on various bits of
universe which float by. When I collect, I don’t often begin knowing exactly what objects I am looking for, but I am often drawn to imagining that I am supposed to collect them. I may find objects that instigate or inform what additional items I should be looking



for. Many times I may find an object and retain it, yet be unclear about its specific purpose – so, I bring them into my studio and allow them to reside. I may set them down, place them in boxes, organize, scan, photograph or even label them. I may break them, but not usually. I will often leave them for a period of time so that they might transform from a previous existence into an element within the greater collection – a type of fermentation. At this point, the objects are at their maximum potency and are ready to be used. Again, keep in mind that an object can be physical or abstract: if I collected a bone, the object can be the bone, an image of the bone or the name of the bone or the sound of the bone or the relationship between the bone and other objects within my collection or even relationships between relationships.

Regarding Technology
I use technology in my process of creating work and I define technology rather widely, incorporating scanners, cameras and programming languages to fishnets, dowsing rods and hydrophones (among others). Very often, I incorporate technology as part of the work itself. Hybrids may take many forms and include many elements: they may be virtual, physical or both. Distribution may involve machines, networks or devices, but it is not limited to them or by them. There may be modes of interaction, reaction or none at all, and a single work can potentially incorporate each of these methods in varying degrees.

For me, creating art with technology is about rethinking its use, creating hybrids that are not so easily explained or pigeonholed. This is precisely what is attractive about working on hybrids to me: they defy classification and must be met on their own terms. Without a lexicon or prior conceptual framework to draw upon, the ideas must hold themselves up all on their own.