Concrete Existence
Tommy Jay
Delving into works of Dr. Sigmund Freud, Dr. Paul Ekman, as well as theorists in the field of cognition and emotion and related psychology and mental health literature, Tommy propelled into a deeper understanding of mental illness and associated emotional manifestation. Taking a keen focus on visual aesthetics and contrasting message with medium, he emulsified his message through a unique language.
(His) mental health issues and simple electronics are (im)mortalized in concrete structures, granting a snapshot of a time and place of a rapidly changing mindset. The works combine new media and basic sculpture practice to appose themes of emotion, self reflection, all brewed by questions of mental health, mixed and cast as geometrical recordings. Tommy puts his all in his work and uses it as an autobiographical reflection of himself, expressing current issues and thoughts. His work treads on a fine balance of sanity just like the lives of those affected by certain mental illnesses, giving off an eerie feeling of ‘something being off’.
Tommy is a human being creating new media works spanning an array of mediums, lately focusing on concrete mixed with electronics expressing themes of emotional disillusion and cohesion with an underlying focus on mental illness. In his past, he co-founded an audio/visual post/production studio, after six years moved to the camera department and as a freelancer took to the set to bring to fruition dozens of advertisements, music videos and several feature films. He is currently in the third year of the Czech National Film Archive's documentary project NAKI II as a creative content producer.
His interest in hardware and the ever-evolving technology has led him to develop dozens of new media installations, performances and visuals. Following an undergraduate degree in experimental media, Tommy continued his formal education through research based work to further his object making and overall creative process to a higher level. He follows the path that he enjoys, and on his way to an unknown destiny. Currently, he works in IT and co-teaches art at the International School of Prague, keeping an open mind for a vibrant future and an eye on a doctorate. Reach him at parsing@tommyjay.me