Théophile Blandet

CumLaude

Department: Contextual Design
Website: theophile.blandet.com

Fountains of Knowledge and Money

Thick smears of pigment cover the computer screen in the form of a Kim Kardashian selfie, a Bob Ross YouTube video, and cult Japanese figure Hatsune Miku. By painting popular internet images onto this window to the digital world, Théophile Blandet shuts off our access to its omniscience. In ‘Fountain of Knowledge’, the painted images freeze the screen, just as we become frozen in the face of the sheer volume of available information spilling out. The efficiency of technology is reduced to zero and becomes obsolete. The paintings are the opposite of the original images. They take hours, even days to make and have a physical staying power.
‘Fountain of Money’ meanwhile explores the idea of a digital deluge from another angle. This sculpture generates a constant flow of digital currency. A large cooling tube keeps the computer processors inside from overheating, which is reflected in the design, balanced atop carved flames of resin. And, unlike the money shooting out indiscriminately, the sculpture itself is carefully crafted. Both the painted screens and the money machine pour forth such unlimited streams that we are awash with abundance. What does it take to stem the tide?