Skip to main content

Profiles

Living wall

Leaderboard

Loading
Dominic Harris

Dominic Harris

NeoBloom and Arctic Souls

Bio

Dominic Harris (London, 1976) is an artist who uses technology to construct highly personal interpretations of the natural phenomena which surround us.  

His reverence for nature, coupled with his fascination for code, offers a surreal and whimsical take on reality, which ultimately challenges our own perceptions of the world about us. His responses, aesthetic yet playful, conceal a carefully-observed commentary on the digitisation of our daily experiences, which plays both upon our emotions, and our relationship with the technology-fuelled 21st century Pop Culture.

As these technologies, unstoppable and fascinating, invade our lives, and intrude upon us in ever more intimate ways, Dominic Harris captures the sometimes-menacing march of the information age turning it to our advantage in an insightful and seamless blending of nature with code.  Dominic Harris is part of a small, and important, coterie of artists who are pushing the envelope of feasibility and redefining what is acceptable within the art world.  

In the foreword to Harris's solo exhibition "Imagine" at the Halcyon Gallery, curator Sunny Cheung writes, 'a thread of existentialism exists in Dominic Harris' work, a certain preoccupation with flowers, petals, butterflies, and a fascination with metamorphosis and transformative experiences'. This is echoed throughout Harris' practice as 'recurring elements and motifs' shed light on his close relationship with the natural world and its ability to be intertwined with the performative and immersive persona of the digital phenomena which has firmly anchored itself in society today.

Dominic graduated from Cranbrook Kingswood School in Michigan, and returned to England to read Architecture at the Bartlett School, University College, London. He graduated with top distinctions, qualifying as an architect in 2003, and going on to work for the avant-garde architectural practice Future Systems. Since 2007 Dominic has operated from his own studio in Notting Hill, London, where he and his team design, engineer, code and fabricate his artworks and installations.

Additional information can be found at: www.halcyongallery.com/dominic-harris

 

Synopsis

NeoBloom

In his NeoBloom series, Harris employs a synthesis of art and technology to create a collection of blooming flowers.

Each flower in the series - Titania, Hermia, Oberon (Moonshine, Lysander and Puck, the second trio of NeoBloom not featured at the Expo Pavilion) - is not about representing botanical accuracy but is instead the embodiment of a colour study in motion depicting imagined flowers caught in a state of perpetual bloom and beauty.

The NeoBloom artworks engage with the themes of timelessness and transformation. The 'big bloom' moments are particularly poignant; these are when the viewer's presence catalyses a spectacular deconstruction of the structured beauty of the flowers, signifying both an end and a new beginning. This dynamic interaction speaks to the eternal cycle of growth and rebirth, a concept beautifully encapsulated in each flower's endless blooming.

Harris's choice to focus on the 'crowning moment of beauty' in flowers, perpetually sustaining the most beautiful moment of blooming, challenges our acceptance of natural cycles as metaphors for human experience. The flowers never wilt; they are reborn, continuously regenerating in a loop of beauty that defies the natural order. This artistic choice raises compelling questions about the role of art in an era dominated by digital creation and artificial intelligence.

The series responds to the contemporary debate over the role of AI in art. By maintaining human control over the creative process through traditional modelling and animation techniques, Harris and his team assert the irreplaceable value of human ingenuity, even as they harness AI to enhance each piece's textural and chromatic richness. The NeoBloom series is not just a showcase of technical proficiency; it is a celebration of human creativity's potential to transcend the limitations of traditional media and create something truly mesmerising.

“In the NeoBloom series, I delve into the enduring beauty and symbolic depth of flowers, capturing their peak moments of bloom without the eventual decline into decay. These flowers are not static; they are designed to interact with the viewer. Their presence triggers a 'big bloom'—a moment of dramatic transformation where the flower releases its petals in a breathtaking display before regrowing, symbolising rebirth and eternal renewal.  

This cycle, a core theme in my work, invites viewers to reflect on the concepts of time and permanence. It challenges the traditional view of art as a fixed point and instead presents it as a dynamic participant in the space it inhabits.”  Dominic Harris.

Arctic Souls

"Arctic Souls" is an exploration of the inherent beauty and vulnerability of the Arctic's most emblematic creatures: the Polar Bear, the Arctic Fox and the Arctic Hare. This triptych of digital and interactive portraits invites viewers to appreciate the grace and nobility of these animals by presenting them in classical portraiture poses.

In the tradition of Harris’s artworks, despite their apparent photo-realism, they are in fact high fidelity digital constructs presented in an interactively responsive, high-resolution screen format. The activity and behaviours exhibited by each of Harris’ arctic animals is a response to the level of movement of the viewer before the artwork, a technique Harris first employed with his “Ruffled” (2014) series, but now executed to a hyper-real level of intricate detail and simulation.

Each portrait in this series captures the essence of the animals in their infancy, emphasising their unadulterated purity and the potential for growth in an ever-changing world. Their fluffy white coats embody the pristine nature of an idealised Arctic habitat, while also highlighting their adaptability and resilience. The stark black background isolates the subjects giving focus to their characters and draws the viewer's gaze to foster a sense of connection and empathy.

Leaderboard