Merlyn Chipman's artwork spans live improvisational audio/video, print, and installation art but he identifies himself as a "video feedback artist." Video feedback is the phenomena that occur when a video signal is passed from a video camera to a monitor while the camera and monitor are pointed at each other.
Soon after stumbling upon video feedback in 1998, Merlyn started collecting old television sets. These television sets were instruments he used to visually interpret the music of improvisational musicians and DJs in collaborative projects. Within 5 years, he had collected over 100 working television sets. Merlyn's live video feedback performance is an exercise in maintaining attention, i.e. an open-eyed meditation.
In 1998 Merlyn was invited to join Mediacore, an electronic art collective, becoming their only visual artist. In 2002 Merlyn co-founded the electronic art collective, Tryptonmedia, which focused exclusively on the promotion and application of video feedback as an art form.
In 2003, Merlyn began using his computer to take a closer look at individual frames of video feedback. Through this method, he started creating a body of graphic art. Merlyn's abstract print-work allows viewers to explore their own mental library of definitions and categories in much the same way one sees fantastic imagery in cloud formations.
In 2005 Merlyn began exploring ways to make sounds with video feedback. This exploration in sound led to solo audio/video performances culminating in a tour of 13 shows in four countries across Eastern Europe in the spring of 2010.
In 2011, Merlyn joined Vancouver New Musicʼs Vancouver Electrical Ensemble.
In 2012, Merlyn joined the collective LocoMotoArt. As a member of LocoMotoArt, he brought his interactive audio video installations to the outdoors. Via the group's independent electrical power systems, his work engaged audiences, encouraging them to explore their relationships between nature and technology.
Website: http://merlynchipman.com
