NeoBytes :) is an occasional feature that takes a step back from the big headlines, to take a look at what else is happening in the vast, scary expanse of the tech world - often with a cynical eye, always with a dose of humour.
Many people paint to express their feelings, or as a result of pure talent. This is done normally by using a brush, watercolor, and a whole spectrum of paint colors. But how does a painting made out of solid human waste, yes, poop, sound to you?
Drone painter, artist, and hacker Katsu has recently revealed his latest creation in his "Shithead" series of artworks. And his latest one is a portrait of Google ex-CEO Eric Schmidt and is dubbed as "Eric Shit." What"s very interesting is that the portrait was actually created using Katsu"s own feces. Yes, you read that right.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Katsu was asked about his work as an artist, and about using human waste. He mentioned that it was quite difficult to work with poop, as it "molds pretty quickly, which is pretty whack." He explains further about his use of human poop:
I like getting my hands dirty. I was thinking about the human body removed from all art mediums. I was thinking, what is the human body capable of producing pigment-wise? You can use blood, feces, semen and urine. If you just stripped away and removed humans from everything and all technological devices, what could the body naturally produce?
He also mentions his interest in the taboo of feces, and Bill Gates" previous movement to reinvent the toilet. Katsu even got to joke around on the ascendency of the Silicon Valley tech companies, in line with his profession. He says:
These titans of the cloud, are like, basically in competition to control every bit of granular data about individuals. That’s what makes their companies so powerful. They understand that human data has this immense value and they’re shielding and hiding that from the public. Maybe feces is the last thing that they could possibly control.
Katsu is not the only one who has tried to recycle human waste. Back in January, Bill Gates invested in a machine that turns poop into electricity and water (and got Jimmy Fallon to drink some too).
For more of Katsu"s artworks, you can visit the F.A.T. Lab, an artistic collective, through its website here.
Source: TechCrunch