Devon Thoms

Atmos.

My thesis body of work titled Atmos. began well into the onset of the COVID - 19 pandemic that we are all dealing with today. This situation forced us to confine ourselves physically, and left us to our own devices. While struggling to come up with inventive ways to continue my self-portrait photography practice, I discovered the art form of 3D modeling. Through the incorporation of 3D modeling into my photography I was able to create worlds from the ground up that question the connection one has with technology in today’s digital age. As it grows increasingly difficult to decipher reality from artificiality in today’s world, it is important to question how we interact within the vast world of modern technology. A highlight of this series is the use of 3D modeled fashion which is used to not only push the viewer further to question what is real and what is not, but to also bring attention to the sustainability crisis our planet is currently facing due in part to the fast fashion industry. I am combatting this wasteful industry by making clothing with a lower environmental impact. I also bring my own relationship with modern technology into question by bringing versions of myself into these images. This gave me the power to escape the life I live day to day and thrive in a digital utopia. The utopian worlds I had created knew no viruses, no budgets, no gender, and above all there were no limitations as to what could be created. Through compositing images of myself into these rendered worlds, I was able to create immersive dreamlike spaces, and I invite each viewer to escape today’s cold world for a few moments and dream right alongside me.