Simon Denny, Artist

Simon Denny is a fine artist creating across various media in order to interrogate our social relations with each other and technology.

APOSSIBLE™ is a non-profit bringing psychologists, technologists, artists and creatives together to explore how technology can better support creativity and human fulfillment. In this ongoing interview series we’re discovering what people value, what makes their lives fulfilling, and what kinds of relationships to technology they already cherish.

1. What is a ritual, practice, or routine in your life that is important for your psychological wellbeing and/or fulfillment? Why?

Talking with other people, because value is produced in-between agents. It checks my own inclinations and interpretations against my peers, friends and family. It helps me structure my experience. It helps me generate and refine ideas for work and life.

2. What is a human-made creation that brings out the best in you? Why?

Text, for me, distills and stores ideas. It's a time travel tool as well as an archive and tool for shaping other things. Text can be static in a dynamic world and allows me as a subject to be other than static. Because of writing, there's an endless pool of ideas that I can enter and share. It's a truly abundant source.

3. When do you cherish the slow or hard way of doing something? Why?

I seldom actively cherish the slow or hard way of doing anything, except when building relationships. Too much too soon can overwhelm. It's good to give people options to opt in and out of things that don't fit, and moving at a slower pace can allow this. I think this way one gets more of the relationships one wants, and has less work to do to opt in or out of commitments which can be expensive and unnecessary.

4. What is something you appreciate or long for from the past? Why?

I also find longing for things from the past complicated – it's hard to break things out of their context. I enjoyed the experience of time moving slower when I was younger. I was often in a rush, but it seemed possible to get more done on all levels of life when I had a longer relative experience of time. All more concrete things – tools, technologies, social configurations, places – I prefer these to stay dynamic so each iteration is scarce, to be enjoyed in the now. I love the contemporary.