#FLOWERS is an ongoing online and physical exhibition, exploring the implications of art existing as cultural commodity. Drawing historical parallels between the first speculative economic bubble — Tulip Mania (1637) — and contemporary image culture, Sherington recontextualises Instagram images of flowers through a randomised image generator, over his freehand drawn artwork.
Gathering images from #flowers on Instagram, Sherington engages with the ubiquitous nature of the images which appear in the search. Sherington facilitated the creation of a random image generator which uses code to discern which image is placed over the framework of a still-life vase drawing. A collaboration of artist, machine and social framework, the result is a representational compression of time, experience, location, and memory. Refreshing every 28 seconds, Sherington alludes to the average viewing time of Gallery artwork. Each artwork is created on the refreshing of the algorithm and is not a pre-made image.
