Artist Conjures Paintings Out of Floppy Disks

Artists frequently turn to technology for inspiration or commentary, utilizing components such as chips, ink cartridges and disk drives to make their art.

Now, London artist Nick Gentry has turned forgotten floppy disk drives into art by using them as a canvas for mixed media paintings.

“The whole world was totally reliant on these physical media formats,” he says. “Now suddenly we are at a time where they are obsolete, replaced by countless intangible data files. Will humans be compatible with our own technology?”

Inspired by Brazilian-born artist Vik Muniz’s giant world map made entirely of old computer parts, Gentry adopted floppy disks as his medium.

“I looked at using the disks in a grid to create photo-fits, constructing imaginary faces and identities that could draw connections to the personal information stored on the disks,” he says.

For instance, a metal circular hub on the reverse side of the disk worked as a metaphor for the human eye.

The number of disks varies in each painting. A small one can use up to 6 disks, while larger paintings can take up 100 disks or more.

“I ask people to donate the disks through my website but mainly I buy them,” Gentry told Wired.com. “They are still relatively cheap to buy as they are seen by most people as junk.”

To create a piece, Gentry starts with a preparatory sketch that is mapped into a grid, with each section the size of one disk. Spray paint is applied to the disks using a stencil to preserve the label and metal slider. The disks are then placed in tonally appropriate areas, almost like pixels, to create a collage, he says. Gentry then uses oil paint to finish other details of the piece.

The paintings are priced from £300 to £700 (approximately $470 to $1,100).

Get a glimpse of a few more of his paintings below.

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