Persisting Industrial Person

Thomas Park
November 2018

Persisting Industrial Person

I was having this debate on social media. I said that I wanted to be seen as a unique person. Several people pointed out that what makes us unique can create problems, and it’s best, really, to fit in.

I took my phone camera to downtown Saint Louis.  I quickly realized that I did not want to stand out. As I held my camera up, I did not want to bother people, I did not want them to notice. And the buildings were very large, many of them– they were impressive enough in scale that they made me feel small.

I grew tired over the next hour, but I kept taking pictures. I added them to a folder I have of pictures of the city– shopping at a department store, commuting to work, eating at a sandwich shop.

After it all, maybe what was unique, the part of that survived, was my perspective– my choice of shots. I was a ghost whose essence could be somewhat revealed by the angle of a wrist, the trajectory of a lens.

I wanted to add some music to my images, and to create a slide show. I hoped it would reveal my unique perspective. The sounds I chose included strings by Double Bassist Daniel Barbiero. I think they give a symphonic feel to the loops. The loops themselves were composed in a live recording situation.

I called the video, ‘Persisting Industrial Person’, referring to my efforts to reassert my identity even while dwarfed by my urban setting.

Convenience Store

I like to make fun of the convenience store. It’s easy to laugh at how cheap everything is there. But, then– why do I find myself at the store at least once a day? In the span of my life, I have spent a substantial amount of time, overall, in convenience stores– and how they look, sound, smell and feel has become a part of my story.

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Thomas Park is a multi-disciplinary artist, who lives with his wife and their 3 cats in the Tower Grove South neighborhood of Saint Louis. For visual art, Thomas uses a combination of acrylic and spray paints while creating, in homage to street art. His prints usually involve combining 2 paintings digitally. Thomas’ music and videos combine various and often found or assembled sounds and footage, covering genres such as drone, industrial, ambient and soundscapes.

Read other articles by Thomas Park on Arteidolia