In her latest series called Surface Tension', Tabitha Soren turns the grease marks on a smartphone screen into art. Soren sees more than grease and grime when looking at her phone screen. Soren believes that each smear on her phone depicts an adventure of a daily journey through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more. "The grime is more than residue," Soren says, "It’s a map of where we’ve been and what we’ve done."
Soren creates her pieces by taking a screenshot of an image of her choosing, and changes her iPad's background to that image. She then cleans the screen and waits a few weeks for her device to become smudged, and shoots it with a large-format camera.
In some instances, the intense smudging blurs the image creating a surreal, and painted effect.
Smudged Smartphone Screen Art
In 'Surface Tension' Tabitha Soren Turns Grease Stains Into Art
Trend Themes
1. Grease Art Trend - Exploring the artistic potential of greasy smartphone screens.
2. Digital Dirt Aesthetic Trend - Embracing digital grime as a medium for creative expression.
3. Screen as Canvas Trend - Transforming smartphones and tablets into a new type of canvas for artistic experimentation.
Industry Implications
1. Art - Artists and galleries can explore a new type of medium and aesthetic style that is particularly relevant in a digital-first world where screens are ubiquitous.
2. Mobile Devices - Manufacturers can experiment with different materials and coatings that could enhance the aesthetic potential of their devices and appeal to consumers looking for unique and expressive gadgets.
3. Social Media - Social media platforms can integrate new tools that allow users to turn their feeds into collages or even artwork, helping to diversify the type of content available and encouraging creative expression on the platforms.