My work is made up of a series of experiments in experience. I take the successful parts from each experiment and evolve them in order to work towards creating a total artwork experience.

To me a total artwork is an event that embodies interaction through a variety of art forms so as to immerse the viewer in the experience. A variety of art forms must contribute to the event as I believe that fully immersing the viewer involves many or all of their senses. I believe art is a representation of life. The human race is constantly trying to understand life and create meaning for it. Art is one of the ways we try to do this. Through art we can create and express our emotions and ideas. By creating art we can give life and meaning to our chosen subject or concept. "Life is a continuous synesthetic experience, seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, tasting —the world discloses itself to us through the senses." (Heyrman).To fully understand and represent life through art we need to utilize all of the senses in the artwork we are creating. Each sense usually requires input from different arts. Combining the arts develops the experience as the viewer becomes more involved through each of their senses. An interactive aspect can involve the viewer in the artwork further if they are affecting the piece in some way and also blur the boundary between artist and viewer. Interaction can make the viewer become the artist and a part of the art as they add to and become the work.

There are many combinations of art forms and situations that can fully engage the viewer in the experience. I have investigated some of these art forms and situations of, what I consider to be, total artworks and analysed the outcomes and perceptions of the experiences. I have also be considered how we can evolve total artworks and make them appealing and accessible globally by combining technology with the arts.
By gathering this information I have related to and learnt from it in order to evolve my own total artwork experiences, which I create through the COME collective. I have organised a total artwork event at the end of the academic year that involves the collective. This event will be my degree show.

All the artworks will revolve around or have a connection to the theme of the evening: Terrible Twos. I choose this theme as it will be COME collective’s 2nd Birthday in June. As always the artists involved are free to use the theme as they want.

I will be collaborating with one of the bands, Tokamak, and the dance group, TanzKolebka, to create an interactive performance installation.

The performance will come from the band as they play live, the dance group dancing and the audience being filmed live and projected onto the installation.

My installation consists of a projected live feed using the program I have created using Processing. The live feed of the audience (being filmed by the dancers at points and in static position) will be projected onto the stage.

The interactive part starts prior to the event as I will be making the installation program source code open for anyone to edit or suggest changes to. This allows anyone to become the artist and collaborate on the project.

Viewers will also be interacting with the installation first hand if they choose to be filmed or film using the camera to create visuals.

The three performances will be linked and inspired by each other. Tokamak will be creating sound influenced by TanzKolebkas’ dancing (and vice versa) and the projections of the audience (and vice versa).

The dancers will be working in pairs and improvising to pre set “Terrible Twos” rules.


TanzKolebka in rehearsals.

Audience members are involved in the theme as their projected image will be their twin silhouette. They will create a connection to their silhouette as they move and interact with the visuals they create.


Image from program projection.


Tokamak in rehearsals.

I will be collaborating with the band Young Fathers to create a audio/ visual performance on the main stage at Cabaret Voltaire.

The performance will involve signing from Young Fathers, pre recorded and live music and triggered visuals by myself projected onto the stage.

Dandy Riots Visuals - Young Fathers - Bring It Home from steven artwork on Vimeo.

This is an example of the visuals I have made to trigger.

I will also be exhibiting large prints of photography I have done for the event based on the theme of Terrible Twos. The photographs consist of twins: one with the COME face paint and the other with the Sick Note cross.





There will also be art from other artists. This will include video art screenings, balloon sculptures, mirror installations, food art, interactive light installations and graffitti art.

The concept behind the total artwork experiences will be to combine many arts with technology in a collective of artists and viewers to create new ideas. The experience will be a symbol of the evolution of culture, technology and science coming together to discover new knowledge and create new concepts.