“Focus is whatever the light of your awareness illuminates at any given point.”
THE CREATIVE
Name:
Marius Troy
Location:
Åsgårdstrand, Norway
Profession:
New Media Artist
Introduction:
I am a Norwegian multi-disciplinary artist utilizing new media crafting visions and immersive experiences that challenge what we believe to be real and true about ourselves and our future.
Context:
Over the years I’ve worked with brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Nike, and others.
THE QU & A
What are 3 values that you wish to mediate through your work?
Curiosity
Discovery
Challenge
What are 3 relevant problems that you wish to solve through your work?
I am not sure if I am here to solve anything. All I can do is put up doors of inquiry for people to walk or look through, or not. I like to create objects that challenge your view of what is real, and create a tension between your experience of the artwork and your existing map of materiality.
I guess my intention for doing this is to dissolve mental restrictions on what is possible in the world, and induce some kind of belief that not everything is what it seems.
THE CONVERSATION
VOLUME VIII - ACCENTS
What do you see as your cultural path and how do you articulate it to the world?
I am merely trying to listen to the currents inside of me and respond accordingly without letting my ego be the captain of the ship. This means I don’t really know my path or place in this landscape. I am doing what feels natural to me with what is provided by the universe, not trying to force anything in any direction.
To describe the picture as it looks right now; I am creating imagined worlds by utilizing the abilities of artificial intelligence. My hope is that these images, while still being made in partnership with a computer, will move people to actively consider what is real in this world.
How do you define change, imperfection, and focus? How do they define you?
Change
Change is the only constant force in the universe, and I think change provides the fuel and substance to everything I do artistically. Being an involuntary sentimental person I sometimes find change very difficult to deal with. Other times, change is what I strive for. It is a constant battle of letting go and taking charge. And then letting go again.
However, I try to convey through my work that our imagination is instrumental in bringing about the changes we desire, and that especially our imagined futures become socially performative.
Imperfection
Imperfection is to me the definition or mark of authenticity. I don’t think human beings really connect with perfection. In the words of Leonard Cohen: There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
Realizing that nothing worth caring about is perfect is a huge personal relief, and it provides the freedom to explore and express whoever you are and whatever moves you.
In my work, I constantly try to reach the level of imperfection needed to bring it down to earth. It’s a balancing act.
Focus
Focus is whatever the light of your awareness illuminates at any given point. I am a man with a thousand projects going on at once, so being able to focus and keep focus where it matters is instrumental to my well-being and productivity. I try my best to shine my light where it matters at all times.
What are the ‘accents’ that make your work authentic?
It’s hard to define, but I think their common denominator is Nostalgia, as I think the accents are bundles made up of everything I have taken a liking to through my whole life. Anything that has ever awakened anything in me, whether that is a memory of desire, fear, hope, love, hurt.. I mentioned earlier that I am a sentimental person, and I think I have a tendency to hold onto things that remind me of past love affairs. Be that feelings I have kept dear, places I have loved, good times I wish I could revisit, bad times I sometimes wish I could go back and fix, girlfriends that I once were close to, family.. Anything I romanticize. It has nothing to do with rationality. Even my dreams for the future is painted with colors from the past.
THE GUEST
Name:
Andreas Ihlebæk
Profession:
Musician
Location:
Norway
Name a moment of revelation about each other’s character that made you realize something about the world or your belief system:
Andreas Ihlebæk:
Marius Troy has an astonishingly open mind. As an artist, this puts him in a position of catching signals and impulses that pass by most others, combined with an almost otherworldly ability to translate these signals into something the rest of us can process, comprehend and be inspired by. On a personal level, I have through his openness a space where I can feel uniquely free – fully myself. I see this as the ultimate quality in any person, but in him this approach to the people and the world around him flows genuinely and naturally like in almost no other person I have met. If it is in artistic collaboration, philosophical discussions or every-day life, he will always look for the best possible way to interpret me and my ideas.
Marius Troy:
Andreas and I have worked together on a variety of creative projects over the last decade, and I remember clearly that very early on in our creative partnership I was struck by how he was always able to keep focus on the things that matter, -be that while working creatively or in life. He has an incredible ability to discard noise, approach things with an open mind, an open heart, and the discipline to keep his mind where it needs to be in order to create the best work. This has really taught me to put the ego aside and surrender to the creative process without letting noise distract me away from the mission.
THE LEADE
Creative Leaders to look up to:
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Rick Rubin
# ASK
What does the future look like to you?
I will keep it as simple as that. This question really matters a lot.
This conversation contributes to a new media format, where Creatives are in full control of their narratives. By exploring alternatives to narrative journalism, GAHSP starts unconventional conversations, emphasizing values and problems that shape our lives collectively.
Conversation Led by Julia Horvath
Image Courtesy of Marius Troy
Unedited. Only Formatted.