In this interview, Lucas Berns, a versatile artist with a background in various creative mediums, shares insights to his artistic journey. Traversing through photography, video art, and soundscapes, Berns elucidates the evolution of his artistic inclinations, notably delving into the technical intricacies of his video art using unconventional methods.
The interview navigates through Berns’ introduction to web3 and NFTs, detailing his foray into the digital realm. Berns elucidates the technical aspects of his art, outlining the equipment and software integral to his creative process.
Lucas shares his reflections on past works and gives us a glimpse into his artistic influences in the web3 space, embodying a comprehensive exploration of his multifaceted creative endeavors.
Leap Gallery is proud to present the drop Frission with Lucas Berns. Frission explores the convergence of digital art and Op Art principles, encapsulating aesthetic chills and dichotomies. Lucas skillfully integrates historical OP art fundamentals with his work, offering a modern twist with precise execution. Explore Frission at Leap Gallery’s Foundation project space, where art meets meticulous execution. The animations are available for bidding at Leap Gallery’s Foundation platform.
LEAP: I know that you have been engaging in art and creative hobbies since you were young, but tell me a bit more about how your creative journey started. When did you become interested in photography and did you study art?
LUCAS: I’ve always enjoyed getting lost in the art making process whether it’s illustration, photography, video work or other. I love playing music and working on experimental music and pushing myself to find new ways to express myself. I think it was in high school when I realized the therapeutic qualities of art making and poetry. I’ve latched on to processes that let time dissolve and give me freedom to explore and experiment.
After I volunteered in Americorps for a year, we moved to New Mexico and I studied photography. I enjoyed making digital art as well as exploring printmaking, performance art, and alternative processes (19th century) processes of photography such as cyanotype and van dyke brown. I hope to work with cyanotypes again in the future.
LEAP: Tell me a bit more about how you started with video art and dirty mixers.
LUCAS: Video art came later, but I do remember experimenting with camera feedback. Basically, feedback happens when the video camera is pointed at a television. It generates a loop and can become colorful and complex with little equipment. Dirty mixers came next and then glitch boxes and various other methods of creating video art. I can spend hours exploring and thinking of new ways to generate patterns and modify designs in the TV.
LEAP: You also work with soundscapes in a lot of your works. Did the interest in sounds begin with the fact that you started with video and animations?
LUCAS: I’ve made music and been in bands since I was a teenager. The soundscape/ambient music compliments the video work and I have embraced that side of sound making recently. Before the more pleasant ambient sounds, I was making noise music/sound collage under the name Dog Hairs and would perform at noise and experimental music shows in the area.
LEAP: How did you enter web3 and NFTs? Tell me a little about your journey in art and how you started with NFT:s.
LUCAS: I had begun to make a lot of digital art and video explorations during the pandemic and folks were encouraging me to do NFTs. After reading about them and talking to friends online who were making and selling NFTs, I decided to get involved. I have sold several NFTs under the moniker lucas_rad_name and would like to continue to offer my videos and digital in various worlds.
LEAP: Tell us more about your art on the technical side. What software, apps or equipment do you use mostly now in your work?
LUCAS: I use various video mixers, camera feedback, sleepy circuits hypno, waaave pool, glitch boxes, lzx modules, syntonie modules and foxing hour modules to achieve my video goals. Apps like the PX12, glitch lab app, kidpix, and websites have pushed me along to find new ways to express myself. There’s so much that we have access to on the internet or with apps on a phone to assist in creating new colorful artworks in the digital realm. It’s amazing!
LEAP: You seem engaged in arts and creative events locally where you live, tell us a bit more about collabs with others, events etc that you do outside the web3 space right now?
LUCAS: I don’t really collaborate on physical art. That is an endeavor that I like to do alone. A few years ago I got into paper weaving I’ve continued to produce weaving techniques in my physical art. I suppose I don’t collaborate much in the digital world either, but I do love doing live visuals for bands and also performing with other groups and artists in various musical configurations. Whether fully improvised or with planned parts.
LEAP: Can you give us a couple examples of some works you did in the past that you are particularly fond of?
Here’s some examples of my work that I find particularly intriguing (Click to expand):
photography (Click to expand):
video:
LEAP: Can you mention some favorite artists of yours in web3 that inspire you?
LUCA: Sky Goodman is a digital artist that I have followed for some time. They have really progressed from glitch art to the NFT world in spectacular fashion. Paula Morales, Jon Cates, @somfay, @aitsolabs, @Pho_Operator, and many others are also continually inspiring.
LEAP: And then one last question: What artist from the past would you like to meet and have dinner with? Why would you choose this person?
LUCAS: I’d like to have lunch with Vik Muniz. I am continually entertained and intrigued by his work. His creativity seems never-ending and I love the idea of infusing art with humor as well as poking fun of previous masters and making light of things that people have revered and considered untouchable.
LEAP: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions!