Joe Raymond Vega

I create atmospheric media experiences that activate spaces, seeking to develop deep emotional connections using sound, visuals, and invoking the senses. I reference shared experiences through social and cultural means, aiming to promote equity by sharing compassion and empathy, and initiating dialog between my artwork and the viewer.

I am inspired by human relations and the connections that are experienced when deep in thought, in a groove, or in a unified zone. I want to draw on the interconnectivity of human interactions and the spontaneity and intuitiveness of communicating without words. I have experienced collaboration many times and, in each session, there is a sense of positivity and accomplishment that I cannot explain. I feel that subconsciously, I am always chasing this experience – it is invigorating. Sharing is not always easy, but when I achieve true collaboration, I also reach new heights – I am open to receive but also to sharing energy.

As a multimedia artist, I cannot ignore the connection between technology and ourselves. This connection to technology is beneficial in daily life as well as expansive, but it can also be disruptive and harmful under certain circumstances. I believe that through my experiences with technology – the tangible (hand media) to low tech (like a single processing unit) and high tech – I can share and explore what it means to be human and give reverence to that relationship. I aim to achieve value through rich technological experiences that advance, rather than hinder, the evolution of our human user experience. Technology has also fundamental to the advancement of human existence; it is a bond in both material and immaterial and embedded into our growing identity. Technology is best experienced when the user or viewer is engaged, uplifted, and inspired.

I am, and have always been, heavily influenced by sound. Sound in the form of Pop music and other more obscure music genres; film score composers; folie artists and sound designers; classical music composers. This connection to sound allows me to draw deeper into the emotions of a viewer. As a multimedia artist, I find that the similarities between the principles and the terminologies of sound and visual art overlap and blend into one another. For me, this is so evident that in the context of separate pieces, I hear and see the same things. I feel the need to merge the gap between sound and visuals and then also share this experience with the viewer.

I align myself most closely with the ideas of artists Aphex Twin, Félix González-Torres, and Olafur Eliasson. Each of these artists express themselves through different mediums, but for me, they all have a unified vision in their respective disciplines that I largely feed off. Each of these artists are highly skilled at controlling their mediums. This type of control allows for subtle nuances that shape a project’s entirety – originating from choices of sonic tones, feelings of empowerment through the tangible, and intensely immersive qualities. Similarly, and in conjunction, my own work activates space, drawing on emotional responses that promote equity and hyper-awareness through exposure and experience.

I will ultimately build on the connections between new-media and the human experience. I will express a level of empowerment and empathy though interactive mediums and create an aura of technological modernity through atmospheric media and the senses. I want everyone who experiences my work to feel an acute sense of empowerment by doing and interacting with others and by creating a telepathic dialog that exceeds language. This can be achieved only in a shared space of flow state.