Erika Iris Simmons | Composite Art
Erika Iris Simmons utilizes a multimedia approach to create wonderful composite art pieces. Images of such iconic figures as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Madonna are formed using a combination of items including audiotape reels and drawings of the artists. The variety of media used by Erika creates a visually stimulating dynamic that is as unique as it is appealing. Read what Erika has to say about her art below:
My name is Erika Iris Simmons and I like to take things- random things- like what you would find at a garage sale or in a thrift store- and make them into composite art. Most of my pieces become portraits of people associated with the item I’ve chosen. I don’t really add any paint or pigments… I usually just take things apart and re-arrange them in weird ways, cutting away pieces when necessary. A lot of my art is made with cassette tapes and old film reels in a series I call “Ghost in the Machine.”
“The Ghost in the Machine” series was inspired by some strange ideas. How at one level we are cellular beings and another we are a single “self.” The single cassette tape I thought of as representing the mind. The tape ribbon represents our thoughts, the data within. Taking that data – those bits of memory – and rearranging them to form what we see as a face is my way of finding a “ghost in the machine.” I also liked the fact that when you look at a portrait like Jimi Hendrix out of a cassette tape, you can almost hear the music in your head – so your own “data” is responding to what you see.
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to contact me with any questions or just to say hi. I’ll return your message as soon as I can.
Best wishes
Erika Iris Simmons Website | composite art
Erika
