Screen Grab is series of artworks which explores our obsession with technology, in particular the screen, using the mediums of traditional and digital photography. 

 

In todays digital culture owning a smart phone or tablet has become the norm.  These compact devices are gateways to knowledge, entertainment and allow us to do things that a few years ago were unimaginable.  It is very hard to go anywhere without seeing someone using a device or staring into a screen.  Reports and online studies are constantly saying that increased time looking at a screen is detrimental to mental and physical well being- especially that of children and teenagers.

 

Herne’s work is a response to the rise in our screen usage.  The artist has made marks and left impressions on photographic paper mimicking the way we use our fingers and hands on the screens of our devices.  Finger marks run down the image as if scrolling down a news feed on Facebook or strokes swipe from left to right like someone using Tinder.  The artist in turn has developed and imported these images to the computer and enhances their tones to create these abstract images that are almost like paintings.

 

The artist’s aim is to create something which is aesthetically pleasing to replicate the allure of the screen.  At the same time Herne uses a monochromatic colour scheme and muted tones to reflect a sense of foreboding and loss.  These images act almost like a footprint, or in this case fingerprint, marking the way in which we navigate technology.