MICHAEL FARMER

Technology Series

Technology Will Save Us All:

Faith and Technology in a Digital Age

Artist’s Statement:

My current series of artwork focuses on the intersection of society and technology. I use a background collage of printed Wikipedia articles that relate to the theme of the work. I add to that black acrylic paint reminiscent of the screen printing of the 1960’s for a focal point of the work. Then, in a carefully conceived schematic, evocative of a circuit diagram I add gold tape and paint, vacuum tubes, computer punch cards, circuit boards, religious medals, crucifixes, and a variety of symbolic objects that relate to the the specific subject of the individual art work.

The ideological motifs that motivate each art work spring from my personal history and tie into larger cultural concerns. Growing up my father was a mathematician who was involved in computers and coding before the rise of personal computing in the 1980’s. As a child I was always surrounded and influenced by my father’s obsession with computers, science, and logic. I was raised to have a respect and understanding for these topics, though my interests and aptitudes lay elsewhere. As the years progressed I saw the rise of technology from a new convenience to a pervasive, supremely powerful force in everyday life and the economy. This art series explores my perceptions of the spiritual and economic impact the digital revolution has on humanity. Through these art works I view our emerging technocracy through a critical lens of philosophy and inequality.