ELLIE PRITTS: REINTERPRETING NOSTALGIA

Ellie Pritts: I have always been intrigued by technology, especially when it doesn’t work as expected. A little over 10 years ago, I transitioned from film photography to digital, and that was my first direct exposure to compression artifacts and glitches in my work. I loved them. I had to learn more about what was happening and why. I taught myself how to code as well; my initial motivation was out of necessity, as I could not hire help for my projects. Around this time I released my first digital art project, a glitch art series called PROJECT LOSS.

Still, I would say I was primarily known as a photographer up until 2020, when being confined to my home motivated me to really dedicate myself to digital art practices and I became active in Web3.

EP: It felt like a very natural transition. The biggest challenge was learning new software, but after forming an experimental video editing collective (Racer Trash) during quarantine I had plenty of practice and support from professional editors.

EP: I would love for photography to play a more active role in my day-to-day artistic practice. My photography work is pretty location-specific and requires travel to remote places. It’s been a bit more challenging to do that over the last few years. But I would say that my general "eye" for things, which I honed over many years as a photographer, is always with me. I feel I benefit from it every day as an artist.

EP: I like to focus more on describing my practice than the method of how my work is sold; I’ve found that is the best starting point for me to conversationally discuss what I am doing.

EP: Mind expansion, connecting to the earth, and working towards being the highest version of yourself all resonate deeply with me. I am not actually a psychedelic drug user, which is usually a surprise to people. I am an avid meditator, though.

EP: I definitely feel like I am in my element out here, especially in the desert. I have lived in many cities, but this part of the US is home to me. There is something tangibly magical about it. I’d say the photographic style I am most known for was definitely something I honed after I moved out here and started traveling to Joshua Tree regularly.

EP: Broadly, I would say that both can lead you to learn more about yourself and what it means to be human.

EP: I would say my artistic practice informs my role as a curator in many ways, particularly in knowing what it is like to be a working artist. I know what is helpful, what is fair, and how to treat artists well. I am also deeply passionate about art and artists in general, and I just really love elevating the work of others. I want to see more art in the world. I find curating to be just as fulfilling as creating—in some ways even more so.

EP: My background in tech, specifically in my work with Python, has been the most helpful along with my video editing experience.

EP: I don’t get too caught up in the tired narrative of AI art not being "real". I disagree with it, and I don’t find it to be a compelling or interesting point of view, personally. I feel excited about the future of AI art.

EP: Yes, 100%, and that is what makes me so excited about this series. These are my first minted artworks where I am using source video of myself. Prior to this, I worked on a series of AI-assisted self-portrait paintings called Divine Recursions, so this is an extension of that universe. Working on these artworks has been the most self-empowering experience I’ve had as an artist.

EP: I am very intrigued by the ways that AI can (and already does) improve accessibility, particularly for those with disabilities. It’s a topic that I haven’t seen much coverage about yet, but I hope that the perspectives of those whose lives can be greatly changed for the better will begin to surface more and more. There are important things I thought I could no longer do as an artist and musician that I can now access again because of AI. It feels like nothing short of a miracle.