THE MOTION ART JOURNAL: ULTRARUIDOSO'S RESTLESS IMAGES
DECEMBER 22ND, 2022
Imagine you are a traditional illustrator, and you are creating something new and are facing a blank sheet of paper. But what if that paper enabled you to create something that moved? Since almost all images we now look at are on a screen backed by a computer, this is possible. The image that the illustrator will create, which used to be necessarily static because of the nature of paper, can now move because of the dynamic nature of the screen. Both are flat surfaces presenting an image. But the one backed by a computer can easily move.
Argentine artist Ultraruidoso is like this: Essentially an illustrator since all of the images are ‘static’ in that they are in one position and do not perform any real narrative ‘action.’ Despite being ‘static,’ they move in the most dynamic and exciting ways, made possible because of the computer behind the screen. His images burst with life and energy even though they remain in one position. XCOPY is an artist who works in this style, but Ultraruidoso also uses sound, which he discusses below.
Ultraruidoso was generous enough to answer some questions about his art.
Do you have a day job?
No, I’m an independent artist, a crypto artist, and I live from my digital art sales. So far, I haven’t had many sales, and my income is low, but I’m confident in what I do. I never had much money, so I know how to get through periods where I don't sell, but I hope this situation improves. The most important thing is doing what I feel I’ve got to do. My art is my passion, and I enjoy creating with image and sound.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Buenos Aires, in a small urban area. As a child, I drew monsters, aliens and space travellers. I dreamed of going to the stars in a spaceship, but I already lived in a galaxy far, far away, thanks to Star Wars. I liked and still like Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi movies, but I want to watch everything! I liked skateboarding and looking for “haunted houses” with my neighborhood friends. I love music, and since I was a baby, I listened to Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Led Zeppelin, Yes, The Beatles, Queen, Kiss, Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk on my dad's vinyl records! Yeah, this beautiful mix made me listen to The Ramones, Nirvana, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Snoop Dogg, Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas, Spinetta, Charly García and Soda Stereo at the same time over the years, to name a few.
Did you have art training?
I’ve always been self-taught, and also decided to study academically, which helped me interact with people and also confirm that I can’t follow others’ rules and that it is better for me to find my own way. I studied Image and Sound Design. I learned about visual, musical and cinematographic language and how to write stories and create with images and sounds. I studied animation in a very experimental school workshop where I animated all the time using different techniques. And experimentation has led me to learn skills in creating oscillators, piezoelectric microphones, homemade instruments, bio-interfaces and even to draw sound on film strips!
How did you start making motion art? How do you feel about motion work vs. static work? Because essentially your work is static, but in motion, if that makes sense?
I experimented with still images, motion and sound, looking for my own style, a way of creating with which I feel is me, with which I can flow, have fun, have catharsis and be happy. I discovered that the best way to express myself is through animation, drawing and creating something alive, bringing out everything I’ve inside. I wanted to do it in a particular way; I wanted my art to be seen as losing the perception of time. I wanted to create a living image that you can always find new details in, details that you haven’t seen before. With static art, I couldn't achieve this, but I like the power of still images. I like it because you can enjoy simply looking at them or looking at them for meaning. When I created still images, I tried to create dynamism with my strokes, colors or adding sound to give them temporality, but still images are frozen in time. I wanted to create restless and live images, providing space for contemplation and reflection. Yeah, my art is motion, and at the same time, it’s static! I create animated lines, dots and shapes that form a figure that, if you abstract yourself, you can see as a whole static thing even though the parts that compose it are moving in an infinite loop, so this thing it’s alive. I create illustrations that are alive! But I also profoundly need to play with sound, make noises and music because, with these, I also express myself.
What role do you think sound plays in your work?
Sound is the soul, the essence of my visual art because I create from my internal sounds and sound experimentation. I’m always creating with sound. Rhythm is in all my animations, even if they’re silent. But if my art has sound, it’s always to create meaning, say something, and give a sensation because sound creates a whole artwork with the image.
What tools/processes do you use to create your work?
I draw my animations and create sound with an iPad Pro. I like my Pencil and interact with multi-touch interfaces. Sometimes I have an idea or concept before starting to animate or make sounds, and other times it’s a catharsis of feelings or thoughts that take me on unknown and unexpected paths. I like to experiment, improvise, I want to play. I create my figures by drawing animated loops. Each one has different timing and all animations are a whole. They aren’t created to be viewed separately. My animations are short, usually one second long, and they’re designed to be looping endlessly. So GIF is the best format for me. Sometimes I animate from my sound experiments that I listen to while I’m drawing. Other times I let myself fly away with my mind and heart sounds, my inner rhythm. My state of mind influences the character and motion of each stroke I draw or each noise or sound I create.
How long have you been in the NFT scene? How has it gone so far?
I started showing my art as NFTs in March 2021. I consider myself a crypto artist. People are getting to know me, and my art has received positive feedback. I’m so happy about that because it motivates me to create more and more! I didn't use Twitter before, and it took me a long time to learn how to interact with people on this social network. But now I’m more comfortable and even create Spaces where I improvise with my sound, sometimes something musical comes up, sometimes it's a noisy madness, it's so fun!
What artists do you like and follow?
XCOPY, A. L. Crego, Mirai Mizue, Jan Švankmajer. I would like to mention Norman McLaren and John Cage because I really like their work.
Do you think that Motion Art is a new Art form as I lay out in my initial piece?
Motion Art has been around for many years, using all kinds of techniques and media. But not long ago, artists began to create art using the GIF format, whose main characteristic is the ability to repeat itself continuously. The repetition may or may not be noticeable, but when it isn’t, when you don’t know when a motion begins or ends, I think that art transports you to a timeless space. You can contemplate the artwork differently than a static illustration or an animation that starts and ends forever. I chose this way of creating with motion because I intend my art to seem alive, that you can look at it for as long as you want without being able to find the beginning or end of the motion of each element that I animate, that you can see it in constant motion, without noticing cuts, and that you can be surprised with a detail that you haven’t seen before. Because this way of creating art is becoming more and more popular, I agree with your thoughts about Motion Art. I'm not sure about the name because many people would argue that there’s a lot of motion art which may be created in other ways or follow different rules. Nor do I care about categories, but I think it's good that there are people like you who analyze art. I’ll be happy if you look at my art and feel the energy with which I created it, the motion that immortalizes my thoughts or feelings in an infinite loop. And thank you so much for your interest in what I do.
