Tom Loughlin

California
Visual
Affiliate, 2015 - 2016
Affiliate, 2014 - 2015
↗ tomloughlinart.com

Artist Statement

I’m interested in our systems of meaning and how they function or fail to function. I happen to believe we’re wired for co-operation, and that we’ve evolved cultural and linguistic systems to facilitate communal action. What interests me is the way these systems fail – not just the way they can break down, but the manner in which their proper functioning can obscure our ability to see things as they really are. How do we negotiate the planet and find comfort under the circumstances?

I have worked in a variety of media, including video installation, sound installation, sculpture, and performance. Currently I am focused primarily on sound installation.

While at Headlands

Working at the Headlands has been essential to my practice this year. In making art about the city of San Francisco, it’s been helpful to be able to step out of that environment, and into a place of contemplation. The ideas for the Five Neon Signs project were hatched while I was working in my studio, brainstorming with other Headlands artists, and/or climbing the surrounding hills.

My intention is to keep engaging audiences that might not ordinarily seek out art. I will continue to be interested in venues that are outside the artistic mainstream, including storefronts, newspapers, and other public forums. There’s a good chance that my next project will be another in my series of sound installations, because that’s what I’ve been tinkering with in my studio since I finished the last sign, but I really never know what’s going to pop into my head once I’ve crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and descended into this valley.

Gallery