Found objects combine with technology and software in Neil Mendoza's exhibition, Pretty Rubbish, on display at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art through Oct. 3. Each of the four installations makes a whimsical comment on humanity's penchant for excess.
"The show consists of three new pieces and one older piece," Mendoza explained via email. "Spambots is a group of robotic Spam cans empowered to tell their tales. They are given a helping hand by a neural network trained on a version of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World where nouns and verbs are randomly replaced with pig-related alternatives. Brave New World was selected as each character in the novel is born into a role into society that they did not choose in much the same way industrial farm animals are born into their fate.
"Fan-Tastic is a plastic bag that is kept in motion by a bank of fans. The bag is tracked and has a digital counterpart projected on the wall that attracts a school of digital fish swimming around it," Mendoza said.
"Escape II is the oldest piece, created in 2012. Escape is a series of pieces that takes cellphones, often a source of stress and distraction, and transforms them into objects of contemplation.
"Transdimensional Trash is a live simulation of a day in the life of a retired trash bag. We like to imagine that trash disappears into the ether when we throw it away. This piece imagines what would happen if a trash bag found a portal out of the dump and into the forest," Mendoza concluded.
Mendoza taught classes in art and technology at UCLA and Stanford, and he co-founded an art collective called "is this good?" His work can embrace the absurd, employ humor, delve into the surreal, and explore the futile. How did he learn all these techno skills?
"I studied math and computer science for my undergrad, so I was definitely familiar with that aspect of technology," he said. "Other skills, such as electronics, computer-aided design, and 3D modeling, were all self-taught."
Technology and consumerism are certainly part of our environmental problem. By using technology to comment on itself and consumerism, is Mendoza part of the problem or solution?
"I think it's all relative, rather than black and white," he said. "Even in a nontechnological society, resources and energy are used but much more slowly. I feel that technology enables me to make work talking about these issues that connects with a much wider audience than if I were to use other media. Where possible, I try to reuse and upcycle technology and materials and strive to make things that aren't intended to be disposable. However, I can't answer whether this balances out in some kind of universal equation of positive versus negative. I think it's also worth bearing in mind that while resources and energy used by consumers are a huge problem, a lot of the issues require campaigning for systemic change, both industrial and political. Over 70 percent of greenhouse gases are produced by just 100 corporations."
Mendoza's obviously very concerned about environmental issues, and his often humorist/absurdist approach takes the inherent scolding out of the topic, but these are serious issues. Does he have any sense of whether humanity can snap itself out of its destructive path?
"There's so much momentum behind our current way of life that very quick changes are going to be difficult," he said. "Part of it is related to an idea called 'the tragedy of the commons,' where individuals, whether that's a person or a country, act in their own interest rather than what rationally would make more sense if everyone acted collectively together.
"In the medium term, the younger generation seems to have no illusions about the gravity of the situation facing them, so hopefully the next generation of decision makers will be more effective at addressing these issues," he said. "Unfortunately, extreme weather events are becoming more common. That phenomenon could also act as a catalyst to action."
Fun, interactive, thoughtful—Mendoza's Pretty Rubbish is proof that art can address serious topics with humor and whimsy. Δ
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.