Ryder Ripps: Alone Together. Solo exhibition at Red Bull Studios, New York

Alone Together at Red Bull Studios New York is an exhibition conceived by the New York-based conceptual artist Ryder Ripps. The show addresses the relationship between content creator and content consumer in the Internet, and consists of two major elements: On the lower floor of the space, six performers are using the Internet for different activities, and on the upper floor, their combined digital output is presented via two eyeholes in a large shipping crate. We had the chance to meet with Ryder Ripps in the exhibition and speak with him about the show. In this video, Ripps talks about the basic concept of Alone Together and the different elements of the work, his background, his work in general, and future projects. The video above is an excerpt, scroll down for the full-length version.

Ryder Ripps is a 28-year-old conceptual artist living in New York City. His first solo exhibition opened at Postmasters Gallery in January 2015. He has participated in group shows at MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Eyebeam, New York, Carroll / Fletcher, London, and Royal College of Art, London, as well as given talks for ForYourArt, Rhizome, and Sotheby’s. Ripps received a BA from The New School. He is an alumni of City As School, class of 2004.

Exhibition text:
Conceived by Ryder Ripps ALONE TOGETHER exaggerates the relationship between the content creator and content consumer, illuminating the physical solitude of virtual relationships. This dynamic is physically reinforced by the sculptures’ divided orientation between the upper and lower floors of the space. The upstairs replicates the solitary voyeurism found in the online viewing experience while the downstairs performance enacts the corporal aspects of a network.
Viewers are confronted by six performers/users – whose collective digital output is harnessed and fed into a singular, frenzied tableau – a representation of the voracious social feed. Exhibition goers become voyeurs, surveilling the performative Internet experience encased below. Just steps away are six self-mediated video interviews that serve as introductions to each performer/user, drawing back the curtain of content and addressing the dichotomy between our representation and corporal self.

Ryder Ripps: Alone Together. Solo exhibition at Red Bull Studios, New York City. Interview with Ryder Ripps, March 7, 2015.

PS: Special thanks to Natalie Kovacs!

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.

Complete video (15:24 min.):

Photo set on Flickr:
Ryder Ripps: Alone Together

Posted in: art, interview, New York, VernissageTV