Brett Lackie
Media Artist | Digital Storyteller of Memory and Identity
Media Artist | Digital Storyteller of Memory and Identity
Artist Statement
I am Brett Lackie, a media artist exploring the delicate interplay between memory, identity, and digital storytelling. My work engages with photography, video, and soundscapes, blending archival materials, digital intervention, and experimental media techniques to craft immersive narratives. Through my practice, I challenge perceptions of time and representation, using media as a tool to document, distort, and reimagine both personal and collective histories.
Influenced by camera-less photographic methods, hyperreality theory, and digital aesthetics, my approach bridges physical and digital image-making. Whether capturing the fleeting beauty of a lumen print, constructing speculative digital archives, or layering sound and video to create an embodied experience, my work aims to evoke a sense of nostalgia, transformation, and temporal dissonance.
Background
I am currently completing my undergraduate degree in Media Arts at York University, where I have developed a multidisciplinary practice integrating photography, video art, and sound design. My academic journey has allowed me to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling, weaving together documentary strategies, experimental media, and interactive elements.
Beyond my academic work, I have collaborated on independent projects, curatorial initiatives, and multimedia storytelling experiments, further refining my approach to media-making.
Influences
My creative process is shaped by artists and theorists who challenge the boundaries of memory, media, and digital representation:
My creative process is shaped by artists and theorists who challenge the boundaries of memory, media, and digital representation:
Susan Derges – Her camera-less photographic methods inspire my own experiments with lumen printing and alternative photographic techniques to capture ephemerality.
Jean Baudrillard – His concepts of simulation and hyperreality inform my explorations of digital representation, media manipulation, and AI-generated storytelling.
Walter Chandoha – His expressive, detail-oriented approach to photography influences my interest in how images function both archivally and narratively.
Bill Morrison (Decasia) – His use of decaying archival footage informs my exploration of memory fragility and AI-assisted restoration.
Hito Steyerl (How Not to Be Seen) – Her critical engagement with digital media and image circulation influences my interrogation of historical photographic authenticity.
Marianne Hirsch (Postmemory) – Her theory of post memory shapes my investigation into how inherited histories are mediated and reconstructed through digital storytelling.
Lev Manovich (The Language of New Media) – His research into database narratives and digital media aesthetics guides my approach to algorithmic intervention and speculative archives.
By drawing from these diverse influences, my work interrogates the act of seeing, remembering, and documenting in the digital age.
Jean Baudrillard – His concepts of simulation and hyperreality inform my explorations of digital representation, media manipulation, and AI-generated storytelling.
Walter Chandoha – His expressive, detail-oriented approach to photography influences my interest in how images function both archivally and narratively.
Bill Morrison (Decasia) – His use of decaying archival footage informs my exploration of memory fragility and AI-assisted restoration.
Hito Steyerl (How Not to Be Seen) – Her critical engagement with digital media and image circulation influences my interrogation of historical photographic authenticity.
Marianne Hirsch (Postmemory) – Her theory of post memory shapes my investigation into how inherited histories are mediated and reconstructed through digital storytelling.
Lev Manovich (The Language of New Media) – His research into database narratives and digital media aesthetics guides my approach to algorithmic intervention and speculative archives.
By drawing from these diverse influences, my work interrogates the act of seeing, remembering, and documenting in the digital age.
Exhibitions & Projects
My work has been featured in collaborative exhibitions, independent projects, and academic showcases exploring themes of digital memory, social justice, and hybrid storytelling. Recent projects include:
My work has been featured in collaborative exhibitions, independent projects, and academic showcases exploring themes of digital memory, social justice, and hybrid storytelling. Recent projects include:
Ephemeral Beauty at the Family Cottage (2024) – Lumen prints exploring nostalgia and the passage of time in rural landscapes.
Pretty Hurts (2023) – A multimedia critique of beauty standards and self-image, blending video, performance, and digital manipulation.
Purrfect Profiles (2023) – A photographic series capturing the aesthetics and personality of feline subjects, inspired by Walter Chandoha’s legacy.
Pretty Hurts (2023) – A multimedia critique of beauty standards and self-image, blending video, performance, and digital manipulation.
Purrfect Profiles (2023) – A photographic series capturing the aesthetics and personality of feline subjects, inspired by Walter Chandoha’s legacy.
For more details on these and other works, explore my full Portfolio.
Let’s Connect
I am excited to continue exploring new ways to engage audiences through media. Feel free to reach out via the Contact page or follow me on social media to stay updated on my latest work.
I am excited to continue exploring new ways to engage audiences through media. Feel free to reach out via the Contact page or follow me on social media to stay updated on my latest work.