While not a tool by strict definition, the accident plays an important role in my process and it is something I have learnt to embrace when stumbled upon. It usually begins by noticing a commonality, or at least a similarity, amongst unrelated and disparate images, and then collating them to create a sense of unity. For me, this consistent sense of unity is generated through the grid, which is, by default, the visual structure that lies at the heart of a lot of my work. I have a very unhealthy obsession with the grid. The grid, for me, is the logical way to collect, compile, and curate found imagery. It even influences my photographic work—which differs slightly from my web-based appropriation work—where I manipulate the way we digest digital media via the pixel array. I like the grid because it creates a sense of meaning and order out of unconnected and unrelated imagery. It also allows for limitless growth, which is important given most of my projects are ongoing. I’m philosophically obsessed with the Absurd—the fundamental disharmony between our search for meaning and the meaninglessness of the universe—so I enjoy asking questions more than I do trying to find possible answers.
Kailum Graves
