"Skin Dive" is an eight-part video series created by LUKE WYATT and ARI RUSSO, exclusive to 4:3
Asked to provide an entry point for viewers curious about the series' intent, the creators of Skin Dive, Luke Wyatt and Ari Russo said; “We are fixing the fact that this didn't exist”. Asked to elaborate, the two made for the exit, calling out “Just watch the thing” over their shoulder as they walked out the door.
Then Ari, in a moment of emotional generosity, walked back into the room and pointed to an old printer that had been idling unnoticed in the corner. Now that he was pointing at it I noticed it’s reassuring hum, a friendly sonic emission that had been there the whole time, softening the pressure in the otherwise dead silent room, making things a little easier for me as I’d tried to pry soundbites from these two impassive giants. “I’m on your side,” the hum seemed to be saying.
As Ari walked towards the printer it gave a small jolt. I fought the urge to anthropomorphize this movement as the eager reflex of a lackey shivering with the anticipation of servile pleasure. Whatever compassion the printer had for me, it was clearly under the thumb of Mr. Russo.
Another small jolt was followed by a page printing in the slow noisy fashion of an old impact dot matrix printer.
I walked over to the printout and read:
"We have a shared appreciation for blessing objects, conversations and events with exceeding power. What if the sandwich shop you pass every day was actually a playground for good and evil? What if an ad for a rusty vintage sports car was a catalyst for reflection upon self reflection? "
Luke Wyatt is a sound and image artist who has released over 20 records as Torn Hawk and other aliases. His visual mission is manifest in the many videos online and elsewhere that adhere to a form he calls “video mulch”.
Ari Russo is an artist who reanimates forgotten content, forging its parts into a balanced and elegant new whole. Recently, this work has spanned music, video and software.
Ari and Luke have been in creative sympathy since Luke released the first Russo record, "Wild Metals", on his label Valcrond Video in 2014. “Skin Dive”, an 8 part video series, is their first real foray into the interpersonal arm wrestling of formal collaboration.
CREDITS & LINKS
TornHawk