Jason Salavon
Encyclopedia
Jason Salavon is an American
contemporary artist. He is noted for his use of computer software of his own design to manipulate and reconfigure preexisting media and data to create new visual works of fine art
.
The son of an artist, Jason Salavon was born in 1970http://www.mocp.org/collections/mpp/salavon_jason.php in Indianapolis
, Indiana
and raised in Fort Worth, Texas
(Hill 2004).http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=abo He earned his BA
in 1993 from the University of Texas at Austin
and his MFA
in 1997 from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During and after school, Salavon worked as an artist and programmer in the video game industry. After he earned his MFA, he also designed and taught courses as an instructor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Hill 2004).http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=edu Salavon currently lives in Chicago
, where he is a studio artist and an assistant professor and research fellow at the University of Chicago
.http://dova.uchicago.edu/f_jasonsalavon.html
Salavon is noted for his use of custom computer software to manipulate and reconfigure media and data to create new visual works of art. A significant body of Salavon's work involves two general means of manipulating preexisting media to create works of art: first, by overlaying images (such as multiple photographs) and averaging the result to create visual amalgamations
and, second, by distributing processed media (such as individual frames of a movie) side by side or in other configurations (Hill 2004:14).http://gaainart.com/exhibitions/2007/pressrelease/article_jason.html An example of the first means is Salavon's 2004 suite of works, 100 Special Moments, which consists of images based on the average of groups of 100 distinct commemorative photographs culled from the Internet.http://salavon.com/SpecialMoments/SpecialMoments.shtml An example of the second means is his 2000 work, The Top Grossing Film of All Time, 1 x 1, which is a static image showing all of the frames of the movie Titanic
reduced to the average color most representative of each frame (Hill 2004:22-24).http://salavon.com/TGFAT/Titanic.shtml
A third part of Salavon's work involves the recomposition of statistical data into visual images.http://gaainart.com/exhibitions/2007/pressrelease/article_jason.html For example, in the 2001 works Shoes, Domestic Production, 1960-1998, Salavon organized and transformed a data set concerning the show industry into "psychedelic constellations" bursting with color.http://salavon.com/Shoes/Shoes.shtml A more recent example is Salavon's 2006 work, American Varietal, a commission to transform census data into site-specific art for the new headquarters of the US Census Bureau in Suitland, Maryland.http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=edu
Salavon's work has been and continues to be shown in numerous exhibitions around the world and is a part of many public and private collections (Hill 2004:54).http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=exh He has also received commissions to create site-specific artworks, including a commission at the US Census Bureau in Suitland, Maryland.http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=edu More recently, he received a commission to create art for the expansion of McCormick Place
in Chicago
.
At one point, the Google
search results for the term "Playboy" placed Salavon's website in a higher position than Playboy's
own website.http://www.gapersblock.com/detour/audible_city_jason_salavon/ This was likely the result of extensive blogosphere
discussion about and linking to Salavon's website for his works Every Playboy Centerfold, The Decades, amalgamations showing the decade-by-decade evolution of the "average" Playboy centerfold from the 1960s to the 1990s.http://salavon.com/PlayboyDecades/PlayboyDecades.shtml
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contemporary artist. He is noted for his use of computer software of his own design to manipulate and reconfigure preexisting media and data to create new visual works of fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
.
Life and art
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and raised in Fort Worth, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(Hill 2004).http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=abo He earned his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1993 from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and his MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in 1997 from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During and after school, Salavon worked as an artist and programmer in the video game industry. After he earned his MFA, he also designed and taught courses as an instructor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Hill 2004).http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=edu Salavon currently lives in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he is a studio artist and an assistant professor and research fellow at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.http://dova.uchicago.edu/f_jasonsalavon.html
Salavon is noted for his use of custom computer software to manipulate and reconfigure media and data to create new visual works of art. A significant body of Salavon's work involves two general means of manipulating preexisting media to create works of art: first, by overlaying images (such as multiple photographs) and averaging the result to create visual amalgamations
Amalgamation (fiction)
Amalgamation or amalgam, when used to refer to a fictional character or place, refers to one that was created by combining, or is perceived to be a combination, of several other previously existing characters or locations...
and, second, by distributing processed media (such as individual frames of a movie) side by side or in other configurations (Hill 2004:14).http://gaainart.com/exhibitions/2007/pressrelease/article_jason.html An example of the first means is Salavon's 2004 suite of works, 100 Special Moments, which consists of images based on the average of groups of 100 distinct commemorative photographs culled from the Internet.http://salavon.com/SpecialMoments/SpecialMoments.shtml An example of the second means is his 2000 work, The Top Grossing Film of All Time, 1 x 1, which is a static image showing all of the frames of the movie Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
reduced to the average color most representative of each frame (Hill 2004:22-24).http://salavon.com/TGFAT/Titanic.shtml
A third part of Salavon's work involves the recomposition of statistical data into visual images.http://gaainart.com/exhibitions/2007/pressrelease/article_jason.html For example, in the 2001 works Shoes, Domestic Production, 1960-1998, Salavon organized and transformed a data set concerning the show industry into "psychedelic constellations" bursting with color.http://salavon.com/Shoes/Shoes.shtml A more recent example is Salavon's 2006 work, American Varietal, a commission to transform census data into site-specific art for the new headquarters of the US Census Bureau in Suitland, Maryland.http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=edu
Salavon's work has been and continues to be shown in numerous exhibitions around the world and is a part of many public and private collections (Hill 2004:54).http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=exh He has also received commissions to create site-specific artworks, including a commission at the US Census Bureau in Suitland, Maryland.http://salavon.com/info.php?pg=edu More recently, he received a commission to create art for the expansion of McCormick Place
McCormick Place
McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the United States. It is made up of four interconnected buildings sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about 4 km south of downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA. McCormick Place hosts numerous trade shows, including the Chicago Auto Show,...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
At one point, the Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search results for the term "Playboy" placed Salavon's website in a higher position than Playboy's
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
own website.http://www.gapersblock.com/detour/audible_city_jason_salavon/ This was likely the result of extensive blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
discussion about and linking to Salavon's website for his works Every Playboy Centerfold, The Decades, amalgamations showing the decade-by-decade evolution of the "average" Playboy centerfold from the 1960s to the 1990s.http://salavon.com/PlayboyDecades/PlayboyDecades.shtml
Further reading
- "Jason Salavon - Information - Publications & Bibliography", Salavon.com. Retrieved on January 4, 2007.
- "Jason Salavon - Information - Reviews & Articles", Salavon.com. Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
- Landsman, Aaron. "Case Study, Jason Salavon: A Thousand Butterflies", Creative Capital Foundation, December 2002. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.