Anonymity - The Loss of Self
installation by Cliff Lamoree

June 6 - September 10, 2003
Erie Art Museum Annex Gallery

In this installation, artist Cliff Lamoree examines conflicts in society brought on by the technologies of convenience. Despite the goal of freeing humans from labor, the industrialization and subsequent computerization of society have only increased the pace of life. The Chester County, PA artist feels that interpersonal relationships have suffered due to a lack of time and patience to work on them.

Technology has given people the ability to code and number things to save time. However, the practice of coding has expanded beyond inanimate objects to people. No longer is it science fiction to have a barcoded person; it is possible today to implant a computer chip in a person which contains their medical records for safety purposes, or a chip can be implanted in a child with a GPS tracking device in case they are kidnapped. This technology also carries with it a huge threat of misuse. Humans are in some ways already numbered (social security numbers, account numbers, etc) and the possibility for a loss of individuality due to numbering looms large in Lamoree’s work. He uses the symbolism of the barcode to explore the loss of identity. The installation is a sterile space where nothing individual is shown; life-sized barcoded figures stand throughout the gallery; visitors walk amongst them.

Lamoree is a graduate of The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He has exhibited widely including The National Academy of Design, American Academy of Arts and Letters, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Art Alliance of Philadelphia, and many more. His work has also received numerous awards including the Thomas B. Clarke Prize from the National Academy of Design, Second Prize for Painting in Art of the State 2001 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, an Honorary and Lifetime Membership in the National Artist’s Equity of Washington D.C., and many others.