Interview: Trevor Vicks
Luca Curci talks with Trevor Vicks during THE BODY LANGUAGE 2021 at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

Artist. Engineer. Entrepreneur. Sound Designer. Producer. Educator. Trevor’s titles are oftentimes melded together for his artistic endeavors. His creativity began as a child drawing comics with a pencil. He later found a pen and began to write. By his teens, he was actively producing, recording and performing music. After earning his BS in engineering, he later changed his career to full-time artist/entrepreneur. Within that period of touring, perfecting his crafts and building his brand, Trevor endured the struggles of a starving artist. In between time he also found a new passion in education. His new vocation inspired his return to school to earn an MA in sound design. Now, he does it all. “As a multidisciplinary artist, I am always finding ways to integrate my skills. I tend to combine my diverse backgrounds in writing, audio design, visual art and even engineering to hopefully generate avant-garde works, whilst leading with my cultural background. I often approach art like an engineer and engineering like an artist. By doing this it promotes precision in the realm of art and innovation in the realm of engineering. Ultimately, experimentation is at the forefront of my creative process. As a writer, I unapologetically challenge the status quo, while promoting integrity and hope. As a sound designer and musician, I aim to create a new sound and hopefully a new genre. As a visual artist, I am transitioning; the bulk of my energy that has gone to 2D art is now being shared with 3D art. My newest aspiration is to convert my 3D designs to story-telling installations and products. So, what makes my art different? I am my art, and there’s only one person with my unique experiences and background. Introspection and sensitivity are driving forces in my creations. With this very human approach, every person can find a piece of themselves in my art”.

Luca Curci – According to you, what makes a good photo?
Trevor Vicks – Which details do you focus on? The photo has to tell one or multiple stories. A person should be able to formulate their own ekphrasis in their mind as they are viewing the image. Color contrast is also an important aesthetic.

LC – How much is the editing process important? How’s yours?
TV – Editing is vital, but the pieces to the puzzle have to be in their best quality before the editing begins. For me, the editing is the exciting part. This is the stage where my artistry is in full bloom and truly put to practice.

LC – How do you choose your subjects?
TV – Is it a reasoned or an instinctive process? The way my mind is wired I’d have to say the subject is chosen using a combination of reason and instinct. The process is generally instinctive in that the idea pops into my head out of thin air. However, the motive is extremely important, which leans heavily toward a reason.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
TV – The end is the most challenging part of creating my artworks. Sometimes I don’t know when to stop. If I allow myself, I can tinker with something forever. This is where I have to take a break from the work and come back to it at a later date and/or time. Oftentimes, I have to give myself a deadline, if there isn’t any already set in place from external forces.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
TV – My style is forever changing. I’m so deep into my work, that I don’t even notice the evolution. It takes the art recipients to tell me when a change is evident.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this festival? How did it inspire you?
TV – I love the concept. We (humans) are most connected by our chemical and biological makeup, and we use this machine of ours to speak different languages. “The body language” theme was convenient for my current work as my attention to the human body in connection with nature has my immediate interest.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you displayed in our exhibition?
TV – Thematically, my artworks are centered around growth. My work uses parts of the human body – specifically hand and mouth – to articulate growth while expressing human connections to nature. “GROW by nakEdtruth” features a sprouting young plant growing from a child’s hand with an apparent landscape of the Earth and the firmament (Heavens/sky). “GROW (Au)” features my own speechless mouth full of gold-covered teeth that read “GROW”. To double down on the connection of gold – one of Earth’s most desirable precious metals – its atomic symbol, number, and mass are faintly blended into the photo at the bottom right.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
TV – Everything appeared to have ordered. If I may be totally honest, I didn’t expect to do this portion of the process (interview) so close to the end of the exhibition, but everything else was good.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
TV – I did enjoy this experience. Veronica was exceptionally communicative and helpful.