Aitken doug

new media and undefined experiences
immersive concepts
los angeles

portrait by OLIVIER ZAHM
interview by JÉRÔME SANS

JÉRÔME SANS — Are you fascinated by the power of words?

DOUG AITKEN — Yes, I’m fascinated by how words look, and how one word or phrase can have multiple meanings. Some of the sculptures  I work with use language. I’ve often been interested in reducing and distilling language to a phrase or even a single word. I was driving across America when I became aware of billboards and signs. I realized they were absolutely everywhere in my sight line. There’s something violent about commercial signage that moves in and out of view while on the highway, the way it reaches out at you — calling in desperation, trying to sell you something, and trying to convince you to stop and buy it. I thought I would try and make…