Today we’d like to introduce you to A. Morgan McKendry.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I trained as a visual artist at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and studied art history, specifically focusing on Contemporary Art, at Tufts University. This was not my entire undergraduate however, I actually transferred into my Bachelor’s program coming from a community college; I have no shame about this, I feel there is a sense of stigma around community college but I am thankful for the foundation it offered me.
As a first-generation college student, this was the avenue I took to get to where I am today. I am happy I went to art school and learned how to write, speak around, and critically engage with my own artwork as well as with other visual art. I am grateful to my education for it offered me the building blocks to what my style has evolved into. It actually took me a long time to be proud of my work. I am finally at a place where, while I know it will continue to change, I feel more confident in proclaiming a piece finished.
The way I work now is to a point where I can synthesize my knowledge of art history into my work to give it a higher meaning, elevating it beyond existing to aesthetically please the eye. As a multimedia artist, this is something that I have struggled with in the past. From my digital artwork and video art, I found a way to showcase my artwork in a fun, unexpected, way. I had never considered myself a performer until recently; through video-jockeying, also known as VJing.
I am able to remix my video art to match the music of an event.
One of my first gigs VJing was at a night known as KNTRL and their collaboration with Cathouseattic. I was fortunate to participate with collaborators Alien TV during the Illuminous Festival, a temporal video and new media extravaganza that has occupied such spaces as Downtown Crossing and SoWa Arts Districts, last year through our project 20th Century Time Machine Television. A full circle moment was co-founding and creating AEther with Donnie Martin (DOHMA) and Alexan Mardigian (AlexXxan).
My first gig was at Alexan’s night KNTRL. Alexan has a trait that I admire inexperienced DJs, he can mix up genres and smoothly transition from one set of sounds to another set without it seeming jarring or starkly contrasting. Instead, it feels layered and all the more interesting. I remember seeing Donnie perform at a night known as Modular and his performance floored me. It was so unique and different. Here he was mixing a set, looping his own beats, all the while, truly shredding, on the electric violin. These two shared my desire to create a night that blended music and art, blurring the distinctions between the two.
As I’m sure for any artist, I feel as though my journey never ends. I am constantly inspired and my work is perpetually transforming. Unlike a nine-to-five, I feel as though this part of my identity, of being an artist, affects every part of my life and how I not only perceive but how I interact with the world. The stereotype of the starving artist exists for a reason; it is not an easy path, but this is my calling and I would not choose to follow it if I did not feel that every fiber of my being is compelled, in fact, wired, to do so.
We all wear different hats for different settings but underneath the mask is a burning fire, an incessant need to create, that cannot and will not be smothered.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My work, in the aspect of its medium, is inherently hard to market. As a digital artist, I have infinite copies of what I create. Do I create a physical print of a creation and then squiggle on it to give it an art market sense of originality? Do I print it in limited editions? Do I even bother?
Since my undergraduate days, this has been the conundrum I have found myself in. As my artwork has evolved and spilled into video art I did find a niche I did not expect to ever occupy in the world of temporality and performance. Video art has opened up an avenue of video-jockeying, or VJing, within a nightlife scene of house or techno music I regularly occupied as an attendee. It has been a natural transition from supporter to a performer, though, I still feel a rather strange sense of secrecy around it.
Indeed, a good deal of my friends who have seen me perform would mention “I did not know you did this!”. At the root of it, I never want my interactions to be shaded by a distorted egoism I have seen; where a conversation is used as a chance to network or promote rather than relate to one another. I am a rather empathetic person and watching this sort of exchange with the headliner of a bill and some local with a business card fall flat gives me secondhand embarrassment, it feels cringeworthy (and also disingenuous).
I think that overall I can be extremely self-critical and have a tendency to philosophize about something that is beyond the reality or nature of said something. While I do believe this self-awareness ultimately strengthens my artwork it can also limit me in some ways. I am probably looking far too deeply into this and should just reach out to my friends – some of them I would consider very close! – and see if they need visuals for their nights. I’m not sure why but I go back and forth on this.
While I understand it’s ‘part of the game’ I do not want anyone to think that I am using them or only their friend because I want something from them! I suppose this might be growing pains as I move more into a performer role and away from an attendee. My inner debates aside, a big challenge for me has been the constraints of the spaces and demands of gear. Fortunately, the scene in Boston is small and the VJ pool even smaller. I cannot thank Alien TV and Tristan Rudat enough for being a great help in terms of assisting me in outfitting spaces that are simply not designed for visuals.
That said, I have yet to reach a point where I can be fully autonomous and feel confident in bringing in things that space may demand to make visuals a reality. Venues often do not have projectors, they do not have screens, they do not have access to their TVs, and physically often do not have much more extra space beyond what is given for the DJs; to name a few limitations. It has been a struggle, certainly, but I have learned a lot through this process and, perhaps masochistically, do love a challenge.
I think the greatest feat I have accomplished thus far was forming AEther with my dear friends Donnie and Alexan. I am forever proud of how we went from brainstorming random words on a page to actually making the night a reality.
I’m proud of the aesthetic we have created, from the graphic design I worked on to the social media, and how we were able to maintain a calm, professional, demeanor throughout the process despite the bumps in the road. I think the greatest challenge facing us now is finding a venue that will match the vision and high standard for the performance we wish to deliver. I look forward to watching our project grow and know that it will not be long until we find a new home.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about slimebubble – what should we know?
As a multimedia artist, I work in an abundance of different ways. I find that I don’t necessarily siphon a particular style into a medium, rather it is about what way of working is the best choice given a situation or demand. For example, if I am requested to create a banner for an event I probably won’t create a comic for that project. Of course, this is situationally dependent.
In general, my work can be surmised as digital. I illustrate, create digital abstract paintings and collages I have taken to defining as digital assemblages, have training as a graphic designer, and create video work. Though, from my video work, I also sail into the waters of the ephemeral through performing as a VJ. I feel in some ways my artwork is like a chameleon but this is likely from a history of taking on commissions or gigs.
My digital assemblages are heavily steeped in rhetoric and the pedagogy of art history. I use historical painting and symbology to signify the subject matter of a particular piece. I often collage in vintage manga or vintage advertising as visual juxtaposition but still relating to the overall theme of a piece. My work is feminist as I am a feminist, however, I would not classify myself as a woman artist. I am an artist, period.
I tend to post my artwork without much comment, though I do have artist statements and essays written for them I have not decided if I want to upload these to social media yet. I feel as though this pairing works better in a gallery space where I can make the safe assumption that someone viewing and reading it in that space knows some about art or at least has an interest in art and wants to know more. I feel making the same assumption of the internet is foolish. I also struggle with wanting to keep a certain emotional distance from my artwork.
I have seen artists’ work placed into boxes due to their identity; this is women art, this is queer art, etc, and I do not wish the same of my work. I also have seen living artists statements around their work ignored and interpretations or genre-defining linger for an entire career. Though I have been out of art school for a few years now, I am still a new and emerging artist. At this moment this is the conflict I face on how much to give around my work. Does it really speak for itself?
My video work is more about creating connections between sources than deconstructing heavier social matters. My style and process for VJing are time-intensive but the preparation I take in advance of a performance sets me apart from most who provide visuals for nights. I create all of the video content in advance of an event. I spend time beforehand creating a clip library in Adobe Premiere specifically for a night, it’s sound or the performers’ tastes.
My style and sense of aesthetic blends imagery sourced from favorite anime, video games, vintage films, experimental films, 80s music videos, visual-kei music videos, or other videos that I find interesting (read: weird). I am blessed with an eidetic memory, so as I work I often draw connections to similar looking videos and layer these on top of one another either to create a sense of a narrative or a sort of vignette of related imagery all to form a short looping clip. Then, at the gig, I work in a different program (either Resolume or Mad Mapper) to further remix myself by layering the content I have created.
Sometimes I layer upward to 15 clips changing the layer (also known as blending) modes to further manipulate and texturize. I also have the ability to alter the hues of each clip individually or as a whole. With these options at my disposal, I rely on my synesthesia while I perform to best fit how I feel a sound looks. Honestly, the whole process can become rather meta! I also have enjoyed performing live as it gives me a space to use my fashion, styling, and makeup to further express myself; to be fair, I did this whenever I would attend an event however it is a nice reprieve to do so in a space where I am not asked what my costume is!
The personal presentation side feels more at home in the performer space. Running AEther weekly I found that there is a balancing act to strike. One between wanting to experiment and make something look inherently cool but also needing to match the feel of the night. You have to avoid getting too lost in your own world since you do not wish to fumble and miss the beat, dropping the ball on that je ne sais quoi moment of everything – and everyone – converging together to resonate in harmony.
My favorite aspect of performing is when, without speaking, we all create something that just works; it sounds and looks good without much, if any, discussion. I discovered through collaborating that we work to bring into reality a creative collective consciousness, a shared vision, of what we all imagined.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe there is a misconception about success. I find that there is a cultural misunderstanding that success happens overnight; that those who acquire it have it due to some sort of cosmic connection, astral alignment stars-aligned with luck, or better yet a deal struck with the devil. Though, that is not to deny the presence of privilege – that certainly is a reality and an oppressing societal structure.
It may be a tired saying but perhaps the dead horse should be beaten, success does not happen overnight. I view success as holding onto a sense of grit, to persevere. The best advice I was ever given was to lead by example. The successful people I know in my life, the mentors that I have been so fortunate to have helped guide me not only artistically but also along my career goals within the nonprofit art sector here in Boston, have all shown such integrity.
The most important lesson I gained in art school was to never take critique personal; to be receptive to it and to use it to better not just your artwork but also yourself as a person. Moreover, those I would say are successful do not boast or put others down, they have a sense of humility and respect toward others. I hope that as I grow and evolve as an artist I always show a sense of humility and appreciation for those around me.
To surmise, I define success as the ability to be receptive to a challenge, to dismantle an idea and to evolve from it, and as the notion of bringing others along with you on your rise upward.
Contact Info:
- Email: heyslimequeen@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slimebubble/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heyslimequeen/
- Other: http://heyslimequeen.tumblr.com/
Image Credit:
Jorge Baptista, Matthew Modica, Littlered Georgette, Ryan Craig Baker
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