Interview

Mar 31

SullAmiga

SullAmiga, or Brett Sullivan as he’s known in other fields, is a digital artist whose work was at the forefront of Desktop Video in the late 80’s. This was when Commodore Amiga computers and early Mac’s started being used in animation and art projects.

SullAmiga pioneered computer animation and film in his high school major art work in 1988 in Sydney, Australia. The work attracted the national press and SullAmiga was soon commissioned by Federal Publishing in 1989, at the age of 18, to write a book about the emergence of computers in film, TV and art.

Entitled Desktop Video, the book predicted the inevitable rise of desktop computing as a potent creative tool in the foundling industry of motion graphics. SullAmiga continued writing for national newspapers and magazines in Australia about emerging technologies, and was a creator of early VR and interactive technologies.

He also taught the first computer graphics courses at the Australian Film and Television School. Since then, SullAmiga created the film company, Steam Motion and Sound in London and New York. He has worked as a director for the world’s biggest music artists and live theatre across Broadway, London’s West End, Europe, Australia and Canada.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I’ve been creating computer graphic art since my early teens. During lockdown, I rediscovered my earlier digital artworks which inspired a new direction of creative practice. As Sullivan, SullAmiga became my fond moniker to work under. The new works, created in the past year explore a fascination with the very tool that is used to produce the art—the computer itself. The interface we engage in and the language used to create becomes the subject matter. The works exist both as digital images, physical prints and video projects.
Recently, I’ve re-engaged with the visual art side of my practice creating digital and video works as SullAmiga.”

What inspires you?

“I’m inspired by art, music, books, films that affect me—technically, emotionally, or commercially. It may not be inspiration but perhaps motivation. When someone or a group of people make something from nothing, that makes an impact on me. Sometimes inspiration can also be depressing—how could I do something that good?”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“Much of my life has been dominated by a computer desktop. The time taken to copy files, watch renders, save files, name files, empty trash, install and restart. I’ve spent hours, days, weeks, months and years of my life interacting with these interface functions.
My recent artworks are from the series ‘Processing Progress’. As our life, our work, and our daily functions tick by and are measured in desktop icons, the art gives them a voice of their own. It’s the dialogue that I experience between myself and the computer. These icons, which date back to old operating systems, have been redrawn and coupled with their own messages. As I create, I’m conscious that my actions are being calculated and processed. And most times they are measured in time, just like our lives are.”

How would you describe your work?

“I think my work focusses on iconography that we recognize, and then alters it to create something new whether visually, or through the message. It takes a new perspective on something familiar.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I’m drawn to work that explores pattern, repetition, and is not afraid to show it’s process. That is why I enjoy the works of Andy Warhol for reimagining everyday icons, Invader for wit, Christo for creating unique editions that celebrate his workflow and for his enormous installations, and Jasper Johns for texture.”

“I’m drawn to work that explores pattern and repetition, and is not afraid to show it’s process.”

What is your creative process like?

“I write down potential ideas, or I take photos of something that captures my imagination. I end up with lots of lists. I follow up with initial sketches. Then, I build the piece in Photoshop or After Effects. Once I hit the headspace of ‘playing’, I feel free to experiment and fail with no judgement.
If a piece requires certain precision, or repetition, then I don’t cut corners— I let it take the time it needs. There are usually many permutations of the same idea, and I have no problem with evolving and tweaking as I don’t think the work necessarily needs to be stamped as ‘finished’. If the work is printed, I work with the printer to try out paper stock and print technology. The process for me is quite therapeutic and exciting.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“Artists are the first voices to reflect our societies in transition. They make connections between sources that seem unlikely and previously unimagined. Society generally underestimates the power of creative thinking and what riches it brings us—which is mostly intangible and can’t be easily quantified.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“The Jasper Johns Retrospective at the MOMA in 2022 was incredible, and left a real mark on me. The range of his work, his exploration in printmaking, and the use of objects and texture made the experience quite visceral and inspiring. It seemed he was not bound by style.”