AN INTERVIEW WITH DEREK LARSON THE 22 MAGAZINE: Tell me a little about when you started to get involved with video art and
what really appealed to you about it?
DEREK LARSON: Portability. I started making video in 2002 because it required less studio space
than most other things I was doing at the time. I can make video anywhere and carry my tools with me at all times.
22: Tell me a little about why you chose experimentation and documented measurements as a gen-
eral theme in your work?
DL: The measurement videos are just one of many ideas at the moment, I started them as a way to tie
sculptural elements to my video, as a quick task to keep busy. This idea then branched into other ideas and thinking about digital media in a tangible way.
22: One of your more recent projects, “Commonwealth,” is based off the quote “satisfaction of temporary desire falsifies experience.” Can you explain what you mean by this?
DL: I knew that if I was going to make a virtual sculpture garden then it could only be a flimsy replica
of the Museum-like thing that I was referencing. So that became the whole idea.
22: Tell me what role the billboard played in the commonwealth project. DL: The billboard was an advertisement for the show but it was also an ancient and cryptic message
to the city of St. Louis.
22: What do advertisements mean to you in general? DL: I like how advertisements can be read as both totally meaningless and as an explanation of “who
we are.” It’s hard not to see them as being so totalizing -- probably since they’re supposed to appeal to a large demographic, which is what makes the message so meaningless to an individual. The funniest and best ones are print ads in magazines like People, Us Weekly and OK!
22: Many of your works utilize pop or cultural icons, sometimes juxtaposing them with everyday
reality. What are some of your favorite icons to play with and why? What do you look for when you are looking for footage?
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