Artist Statement

Adding this section pains me a bit, as I’d like to avoid “art-speak” as much as humanly possible. That said:

Paisley Babylon is a media art project. Paisley Babylon is Joe Wallace, who creates original audio, video, still, and web-based art. He also curates existing material and creates derivative artwork in the form of media manipulation, DJing/music curation, mashups, audio/video collage, and independent filmmaking.

The Paisley Babylon Mission Statement

Paisley Babylon is focused on the twin aesthetics of retro nostalgia and futurism. Paisley Babylon uses tools from the past (turntables, vinyl records, film, and video) as well as the most advanced technologies (non-linear digital editing, online media distribution, social media, digital still and filmmaking). Paisley Babylon art incorporates the design aesthetics, products, and marketing techniques of the 60s, 70s and 80s, as well as the media itself.

These tools and aesthetics inform Paisley Babylon’s work. Nostalgia is an important part of the art, but there’s something deeper at work here. A quote wrongly attributed to Kurt Vonnegut is appropriate here: “Advice is a form of nostalgia”. In the world of Paisley Babylon, the reverse is also true.

Paisley Babylon is dedicated to creating multi-media art that looks to the future while simultaneously calling back to the 60s, 70s, and 80s with music, video, still and film. The technologies used to deliver the artwork isn’t just a convenience–it’s also a commentary on the art form, where it’s been and where it’s going. How the work is presented is simultaneously a time capsule and an indicator of the future of the medium.

To contact, book, commission video/audio, or discuss collaborative multi-media projects with Paisley Babylon, e-mail jwallace@turntabling.net or call 773 275-8602