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Chris Combs

Public Art, Sculpture / Installation, Visual / Media

Chris Combs's artworks respond to pressing themes of surveillance, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic failure—and to the viewer, using facial recognition and motion sensing.

About the Artist

Chris Combs is an artist based in Washington, D.C and Mount Rainier, Maryland who creates provocative technology. His show Supercycle (IA&A at Hillyer, 2023) focused on cycles of hype, such as AI and cryptocurrencies. Industry Standards (McLean Project for the Arts, 2023) featured 18 works made from reclaimed and surplus industrial components, reflecting on disruptive technologies, surveillance, and environmental destruction. Outsized Effects (Gradient Projects, Thomas, WV, 2023) includes the room-sized Allegheny Data Company, examining data mining through the visual lens of coal mining. Industry Standards (McLean Project for the Arts, 2023) featured 18 works made from reclaimed and surplus industrial components, reflecting on disruptive technologies, surveillance, and environmental destruction. Lossiness (VisArts, 2021) explored the boundaries of human perception. The Algorithm Will See You Now (Transformer, 2022) addressed algorithmic bias and failings of “AI” products. Judging Me Judging You (DCAC, 2018) dealt with surveillance and control, and the 35 machines in Maelstrom (Rhizome DC, 2021) spread rumors about their visitors. Madness Method, a public art collaboration with David Greenfieldboyce, was part of 2021’s Georgetown GLOW. Chris is a three-time recipient of the DC CAH Arts and Humanities Fellowship program and was shortlisted for the 2021 Aesthetica Art Prize. He is a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art + Design and was a photo editor for National Geographic. He joined Otis Street Arts Project in 2021.

Chris Combs website All Artwork

Artist's Statement

He employs a wide range of practices to create circuit boards, software, and enclosures for interactive and time-based wood, metal, and found-object sculptures, which both embrace and question technology. Their custom circuitry is engineered by the artist and hand-soldered with millimeter-scale components. His sculptures address changes in our built technology environment—changes which often occur before we understand their implications.

Featured Work

Photos

“Pollination” responds to faces and spoken words. Its camera recognizes faces and splays them into rotating flower-like shapes; a central microphone listens for speech and shows its transcripts on a multitude of small screens. In this work, I am analogizing the data that we spread when interacting in life to pollen: millions of invisible particles flowing in all directions with uncontrollable effects. Nothing is uploaded from the artwork. “Pollination” uses “whisper.cpp,” a neural network (“AI”) speech transcription tool, to transcribe audio entirely within the device. Its facial recognition is powered by OpenCV. This is to say that many small computers are capable of listening to our speech and looking for our faces. Neither technology is perfect; the same is true of other real-world applications. What happens if a real-time transcript of audio captured in a public place mishears your discussion of a broken ice maker as the name of a terrorist group? Or if a CCTV’s live facial recognition security product misidentifies you?
Madness Method was 216 computer-controlled lanterns of varying heights that appeared chaotically arranged, flickering and changing in seemingly random patterns. As visitors explored the piece, patterns slowly become apparent in the placement and brightness of the lights. From a special, marked viewpoint, the lanterns snapped into alignment as a grid, acting as “pixels” in a larger display. The pixels showed a stream of simple images, animations, and text marquees that addressed themes of clarity, unification, human universality and connectedness. It was part of Georgetown GLOW 2021.
Time-based: This artwork shows a succession of letters on each of its nine panels. The letters piece together into messages like, “S-E-N-T Y-O-U A M-E-S-S-A-G-E O-N F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K”… The panels communicate with one another and periodically synchronize with startling animations.
Time-based: Using 1,152 digits in “18:88” clock displays with 7,200 individual pixel elements, this artwork addresses themes of robotics, inevitability, and automation with imagery of fractal trees, geometric increases, countdowns, and scenes from the film Metropolis.
Interactive: Shows an animated candle flame. A viewer can blow it out.
Inspired by the shape of a Davis Coal & Coke Company tipple from Thomas, the “Allegheny Data Company” has myriad objects that can be controlled by viewers—and a few surprises.

Videos

  • One-to-Many

    See more information about One-to-Many
    Time-based: Using 1,152 digits in “18:88” clock displays with 7,200 individual pixel elements, this artwork addresses themes of robotics, inevitability, and automation with imagery of fractal trees, geometric increases, countdowns, and scenes from the film Metropolis.
    Medium: LED displays, custom display panels, aluminum extrusion, computer, custom circuit boards, PLA
    Year: 2021
    Details: 27x20.5x3in WxHxD

  • Madness Method (with David Greenfieldboyce)

    See more information about Madness Method (with David Greenfieldboyce)
    Madness Method was 216 computer-controlled lanterns of varying heights that appeared chaotically arranged, flickering and changing in seemingly random patterns. As visitors explored the piece, patterns slowly become apparent in the placement and brightness of the lights. From a special, marked viewpoint, the lanterns snapped into alignment as a grid, acting as “pixels” in a larger display. The pixels showed a stream of simple images, animations, and text marquees that addressed themes of clarity, unification, human universality and connectedness. It was part of Georgetown GLOW 2021.
    Year: 2021
    Details: 18' wide, 15' deep, 12' high