A Sharper Image #10

A Sharper Image is a series of digital prints that depict orca whales, the beloved Puget Sound icons often employed as symbols of indigeneity, environmental catastrophe, or as stand-ins for nature. I synthesized these pictures using software intended for product and packaging design. Digital technologies are adept at mining, storing, and manipulating enormous amounts of data. However, there is a common misapprehension that more data leads to better understanding. These pictures sit uneasily between the desire for ‘the whole picture’ and the suspicion that the basis for ethical action resides elsewhere. –Artist statement