MATERIAL (2025) : REID SURMEIER

1. Project (1:0):

Drawing Series: Hyperreality, Unease:
(2025)
Charcoal, Oil Mediums, and Ink on Paper:

The increasing adoption of the digital world has caused a collapse in our ability to distinguish between "reality" and "simulation." We no longer experience the world through direct perception, but instead rely on digital devices that replace reality entirely. Commenting on Baudrillard’s concept of Hyperreality, Unease reflects on the technological discontent of living within a digital world—one characterized by algorithmic consumption, isolation, and a loss of control over our ability to escape the digital space.

Dissruption, A Converation View: (5' x2’)

Disillusionment (5' x15') (Side View)

Self Perception, A view :(5' x2’)

Still life View: (1' x1’)

Disillusionment (5' x15') (Front View)

2. Project (2:0)

Sculpture Series: Altarpiece (Wired Devotion)
(2025)
Cured Resin, Circut boards, Matrix LED display, Expoxy, Extruded PLA, Lithium Batterys:

The Altarpiece (Wired Devotion) asserts the dominance of technology over traditional religion, proposing that screens and algorithms have become the new objects of worship. Through its distorted, stretched frame and the use of clear resin alongside weathered digital displays, the work explores how technology warps and distorts pre-existing cultural customs, including religion, reshaping them into new forms that serve the interests of the emerging digital economy.

Altarpiece (Wired Devotion) (4’ x1.5’) (Video walkaround)

Ontological Self : (1’ x1’)

5. Project (3:0):

Clavier: Mode d'emploi
(2025)
Machined Brass Polycarbonate and Aluminum, Circut boards, MX switches, Keycaps, M2.5 Screws:

Designed and built a fully functional ergonomic keyboard that prioritizes comfort and reduces wrist strain by spreading the hands apart. Inspired by past designs, the refined chassis combines polycarbonate, anodized aluminum, and brass, overcoming tight manufacturing tolerances through overseas CNC production. The PCB was created in KiCAD and programmed with custom QMK firmware