Black trees at dusk.
Curious internet searchers clicked on the ad above after entering these words and phrases into Google:
pictures of trees
pictures of tree workers
dusk
nature quotes
google images of missouri trees
"pictures of tree leaves and osteoarthritis"
Each person was taken to my blog post, 180 Degree Skies, Silhouettes, and Thriller
Over the past several months, I’ve begun to explore search engines as a medium. I make search ads, tempting curious internet searchers to click on these short text-based works. I see them as artworks themselves, and also as part of a larger ongoing project, building a network of touchpoints among people who are curious, and who may not be looking for art. The ad you see to the left is a screenshot of what my search ad looks like to someone who is navigating search results. I've linked this screenshot to the companion blog post, to roughly simulate the experience for you.
As both an artist and a librarian, I enjoy distraction, and the accidental nature of looking for one thing, and finding something else. I enjoy the openness that occurs in these moments, and the opportunity for connection and change.
I am building my audience-community in this serendipitous virtual space. I imagine my visitors first looking for a recipe, become tempted by my search ad, then stumbling on my photographs of a partially cleaned, flour-covered kitchen table, alongside my short prose on messes, reality, and baking oatcakes with my toddler. I want my audience to encounter my blog and leave feeling more curious, contemplative, and more likely to notice their surroundings.
