Still Life of a Portrait (via photo, via 3D-Printed Bust, via LiDAR Scan)
John Martin
- Sitters: Tom Thum
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 97cm x 79cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
About the artwork and sitter
Brisbane born, internationally reknown beatboxer, Tom Thum exploded onto the entertainment scene in 2013, when his Ted talk attracted 44 million views worldwide.
His unique talents involve making extraordinary sounds, mimicing all manner of musical instruments with his mouth, and a microphone. He samples and layers these vocal reproductions to create genre-bending performances.
The artist has scanned Tom’s image and reproduced two 3D printed busts to create a still life, which he has photographed as a portrait.
Vanitas paintings (historically, where vanity or material possessions and pursuits do not preclude us from death) were rich with symbolism. In this portrait those symbols are subverted with new meanings, relevant to Tom’s work and life.
The quintessential ‘memento mori’ skull becomes a medical model of a larynx. Violins are replaced with a microphone and sampler. Sea shells and crustaceans representing the wealth of 17th Century Dutch colonialists now reference the beach where he proposed to his partner.
About the artist
John Martin is an emerging multi-disciplinary artist who combines traditional media with new media in playful ways.
John’s art is mostly about the way that individuals and entities represent themselves and how world events, technology, and culture impacts that representation.
He has studied Fine Arts, Animation and Architecture at QUT & UQ in Brisbane as well as Sweden, USA and Egypt. He draws from this range of experiences in his work.
