What is Known Print

I began this series of paintings contemplating the effect of infobesity (term coined by Alvin Toffler in "Future Shock") on our society.   Most of us would agree that there is such a deluge of information to sort through that we feel as if we are drowning in it, or at least desperately swimming upstream in our attempts to “keep up,” get a handle on things, and know what is going on. On the other hand it is an incredible tool,  something that allows us to “get ahead”,  stay informed, and communicate with others in a way that has never been possible before.  How is this surfeit of media affecting us? Are we addicted to following it? Can or should we try to turn it off? What effects is it having on our mental and physical health? As a staring point I used cardboard to convey the thousands of choices we must make every year about what products to purchase.  I  have used hundreds of bits and pieces of advertising materials,  notes, bills, newspapers, posters and announcements and collaged piece by piece onto the painting surface to symbolize  the sheer volume of information that we are subjected to on a daily basis.    As I worked through this series I coined the term “Infoe-diction”;  ask anyone to give up their access to the internet for the day and you will realize how addicted we are to being “plugged in”.  As you contemplate these questions and view this series it is up to each individual viewer to determine whether the info-beast is your friend or foe (which is the reason I added the “e” to the end of info).