CARolyn
teo
My name is Carolyn Teo, I am an interdisciplinary artist and creator who works across media in photography, video, experimental sound, installation, and digital arts.
I graduated from Sydney College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Photomedia and after an exchange scholarship at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver; I discovered a passion for sound and creative electronics and wanted to incorporate these into my photography. This has all influenced and directed my work towards working across a variety of disciplines.
There is something nostalgic about my work, whether it is nostalgic of my own experiences or the experience of others; living in a time where technology is developing at such a rapid pace, there is nostalgia for old technology and retro objects. I will often incorporate old objects and imagery into my work as they are strong visual codes and hold memories and stories reflective of the human condition.
I am interested in the way that people interact with each other and with art. By involving the viewer in the artwork you allow for an intimacy between the viewer and the artist; enabling the viewer to have a stronger relationship to the work. People like to get involved and it’s interesting to see the varied response.
In an interactive work I exhibited ‘Kudo’, the viewers became the artists by creating their own sound compositions that were based on a plotted graph reading of an interaction they had with another individual. The tune that resulted was the aural forecast of that relationship and this showed whether the relationship was worth pursuing or not, depending on the sound that came out.
Although sometimes tongue in cheek, my work also reflects a much deeper expression, allowing the viewer to observe the subject from different perspectives. I like to create work that is a commentary on our society and human behaviour. therefor I am often inspired by the stories and experiences of others in relation to culture, identity and the environment in which we live.
As a person of mixed heritage; an Australian of Chinese, Cornish and Norwegian descent, my focus is to shift the dialogue of the perceived narrative by deconstructing stereotypes. This has led me to develop a deep interest in discovering the little known histories in Australia; with particular emphasis on the early Chinese Australians. This inquiry has directed my art practice to closely engage with communities in regional towns, as these stories are not always well documented and are often locally known histories held by members of these communities.