Lives and works in Buffalo, NY

With three parts intellectual rigor to one part imaginative whimsy, Mark Shepard’s practice filters the ephemeral architecture of physical and social space through the lens of new media and technology into experimental, participatory projects and situations.  Using open-source software, he invites the viewer to engage with new media networks that reveal technology’s potential for expanding the possibilities of our lived environment.  An ongoing project, Untitled (Sentient City Survival Kit), 2010, attempts to expose both the benefits and downfalls of “smart” technologies increasingly pervading the public and private spheres.  Shepard’s installation at the Albright-Knox consists of video surveillance cameras connected to monitors in other locations feeding back footage of viewers walking through the galleries; at times, mumbling sound and narration accompanies the footage.  Subversively turning the inside out, so to speak, Shepard exposes the dislocating sensation of private images made public and catalyzes a self-referential, self-conscious sense of space for the viewer.

On view at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery

To hear the artist’s audio statement, click the audio player below: