[pullquote]Richard Dupont: So, to my understanding, the term “postdigital” refers to the idea that the digital revolution is over and all of these new technologies have been fully digested by artists who are now just using them like another tool in the tool box, which is what I have been doing for some time now.[/pullquote]

Richard Dupont is a 21st-century, New York City-based artist who is working to fuse aesthetic creativity and digital technologies in a whole new way. A Hewitt parent and father of Lila Dupont ’21, and Ava Dupont ’18, Richard is adamant about instilling his excitement for art into younger generations. In fact, he visited McKelvey earlier in the year to collaborate with the lower school on a sculpture as a part of the Upcycle Project 2012.

The Upcycle Project 2012 was a sculpture created by Richard Dupont with the help of every girl in the lower school. Each girl contributed an item that was meaningful to her but which she had outgrown in some way. These items, which would have otherwise been trash, became the foundation of art.

To learn more about the Upcycle Project, take a look at the photos below, and scan the following QR code with your smart phone.

Upcycle QR Code
Upcycle QR Code

As his daughter Lila introduced him to Hewitt faculty last Friday, Richard’s works include “sculptures, installations, drawings, prints, paintings, and animations.” Much of his work is centered around themes of the human body, digital technology, memory, perception, and social space. Some of his art is currently exhibited as a part of Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), an exploration of art made possible by digital fabrication. Richard is also showing a large-scale public sculpture called “Going Around By Passing Through,” presented by the New York City Department of Transportation’s Urban Art program and MAD in association with the Out of Hand exhibit. To get a glimpse of the monumental work of art, take a look at the gallery below, and visit it for yourself at 2 Columbus Circle.

All photographs credited to Joerg Lohse.


I got the chance to interview Richard about the inspiration behind his work, current technology, integration of art, and art’s applications in our lives today:

Hewitt Times: Can you describe your fascination with the postdigital in relation to your artwork?

Richard Dupont: I have been using digital technologies as an aspect of my work since 2002. I have used laser scanning and 3D printing and CNC milling for 12 years. I have used these processes because they are what is around right now — they define our culture to a great extent. This was also true of David Smith‘s use of welded steel in his time, or the pop artists’ use of the silkscreen and mass photography in their time, or the use of video in the 1970s by many artists. There are the industrial or technological tools of the times, and they have great potential to uncover and reveal quite a bit about the world that generated them. I have always been very critical of the broader use of scanners and biometric technology in the spheres of surveillance, body scanning and tracking, the loss of individual privacy and the dehumanization of the individual. These undercurrents all run through my work.

Additionally, I will add that my work makes use of extensive hand work, many traditional techniques such as bronze, aluminum, and plaster casting and a core that is interested in experimentation, whether that be experimenting with process, materials or tools, and technologies.

So, to my understanding, the term “postdigital” refers to the idea that the digital revolution is over and all of these new technologies have been fully digested by artists who are now just using them like another tool in the tool box, which is what I have been doing for some time now.



HT: How do you think art is currently defined by society as a whole? How would you define it?

RD: I believe that art grows out of a response to its surroundings rather than looking backward to art history. This is not to say that art history is irrelevant. Quite the contrary, if you do not know your history very well you cannot really move forward. Also, inspiration is always drawn from great art one admires.


HT: Your daughter Lila mentioned you were going to be talking about 3D printing. Can you describe a little more about 3D printing and your work? We just got a 3D printer at Hewitt. Do you have any suggestions for students as it becomes used more frequently?

RD: My suggestion would be to have fun with it and exploit its flaws for artistic purposes. 3D printers basically use lasers to heat up and catalyze resin-building objects up in very thin layers. They are still very much restricted by size and can only produce relatively small parts. Mr. Nauman and I were discussing the idea of interesting ways to use the printer in the classroom situation, and we plan on discussing this further.

[Pssst, Hewitt students: you don’t have to be in a technology class to use the 3D printer, located in the Digital Media Lab! Anyone can design her own creation by creating an account on Tinkercad and making a new project. Download the finished product for 3D printing as an STL file, email it to a MakerBot technician (so far: Susannah Meyer ’15, Nicki Feldbaum ‘15, Samantha Hott ’16, Mr. Nauman), and fill out this Google form.] 


HT: How can art be interdisciplinary and not accepted as a field that is completely separated from STEM?

RD: Any school worth its weight in salt should be working hard to integrate the arts into its curriculum and to approach all subjects as interdisciplinary. In America, the arts do not receive the public support that they do in Europe, which is shortsighted. If we want our economy to grow and remain strong, we cannot lose sight of the tremendous power of creativity on all levels – math, science, art, language, history, literature, philosophy, etc., and how an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to all of these fosters success. Its also extremely important to celebrate and study art and culture. We should aim high for ourselves, respect intellectualism and fight against the great “dumbing down” of our dominant culture. It easy to leave out art, music, drama, etc., but a huge mistake.


HT: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

RD: My advice is to take advantage of your teachers and your school, and pull as much out of them as possible. Also, it’s important to never stop being curious, never stop reading and looking and discussing. Participation is important as is a very strong determination and a thick skin.


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