Jonathan Vervoort’s (1995) artistic practice converges on the intersection of the digital, physical, expressive, and rational. An important source of inspiration is the amount of images we are confronted with, mainly via screens. Vervoort transfers these images to a different context by turning them into ceramic sculptures with the help of a 3D printer. Vervoort: “Today the distinction between online and offline is becoming increasingly blurry. To me as an artist, therefore, it almost feels self-evident to explore the overlap between the two domains.”
For his recent work, Vervoort is increasingly using 3D scans. He sometimes makes these himself by scanning trees, rocks, or grass, but he also uses existing scans of historical objects that can be downloaded from museum websites. Vervoort explains that through intensive practice he has now become such a proficient user of the software that he is able to intuitively manipulate these digital scans — much like a painter applying expressionistic brushstrokes to the canvas.
Whenever Vervoort describes his work process, he mentions how he alternates between improvisation and working in a rational and structured way. The latter is necessary for making the digital 3D sculptures print ready. The laws of physics play a role in this too, as well as feeding the printer with the right instructions. Like all computer-controlled machines, printers use G-codes. Vervoort refers to this in the title of his work at Prospects: Een g.code symfonie (2023). As also applies to symphonies, the strength of the end result lies in the way all separate elements are combined.
Text: Jorne Vriens
Translation from Dutch to English: Marie Louise Schoondergang