AN INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST DARREN RIGO

In his series "Displacement" artist Darren Rigo challenges us to open our minds and view everyday objects in a new light.  By taking mass produced items most of us have used or purchased at one point in our lives and photographing them against nature he is asking us to appreciate them without their manufactured connotations and accept them as part of the landscape. Where did the idea for the series come from?  I recently had a chance to e-chat with Darren to find out more.

                                                                                 Displacement #18

Can you describe what your creative process is?  How do you come up with the idea for an image or series?
I’d call myself an ideas person. My mind is always wandering. My girlfriend hates it.  I write them down all over the place, on my phone, on sticky notes, in a sketchbook on my hand or whatever. Eventually one of them will get stuck in my head and I’ll start making it happen.  As far as creative process: I usually begin by working intuitively and then refine my ideas as I go.

How did you come up with the concept for the Displacement series?
Displacement sort of evolved out of chance sightings around the city when I saw a pair of children’s rubber boots tucked neatly against a subway hole and a digestive biscuit I saw placed squarely on the outside edge of a café windowsill. Random, I know.  Another funny thing was that while shooting Displacement I coincidently happened upon no less than three balloons that had floated down and got caught in the forests.

                                                                                   Displacement #19

How did you decide what objects/materials you would use in each location?
Some of them look quite simple yet I can imagine how hard it must have been to get some of the objects in just the right place. Ex. The red balloons & Christmas balls on top of the frozen pond. I bought any objects that interested me for their aesthetic qualities and I scouted locations I thought would suit the material. I’d then experiment with that material in the spot and wait for the best light to photograph it in. It doesn’t always work out though. For every image that made it, at least two others got cut, not to mention the ones that I didn’t bother to photograph.

            I Don't Want to be Part of This by Guido Van Der Werve

Who are your influences?
It’s hard to say. I could list off a bunch of other artists who make similar work but right now I’m into Guido van der Werve and Scott Conarroe.

                   Trailer Park, Wendover UT, 2008 by Scott Conarroe

What do you hope that the viewer takes away from your work?
People view my work and interpret it on many different levels and different angles. I’m fine with that; I think its what makes art interesting. So in the end I just hope they take something.

What are you working on right now? What can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m just finishing up printing my thesis work Domestic Wilderness at OCAD. I’ll be showing it at the OCAD Grad Show, Drabinsky Gallery and Xpace all in May.

                                                                                      Displacement #16

If you're as much in love with Darren's work as we are you can purchase limited editions of Displacment #18 & Displacement #19 on our site. Good luck with your shows Darren and thanks for chatting!