James Meyer

I combine audio, video, and text to create video installations that are autobiographical personal narratives. These installations explore my time in the military, my civilian life afterward, and the consequences of being a combat veteran. I use multiple video displays and audio tracks to create an environment for the viewer to engage with. These video installations use displays arranged on a wall or three-dimensional space and incorporate multi-channel surround sound audio. My influence comes from WWI veteran artists to contemporary nonveteran installations or time-based media artists. I look at how the speed and the mode of communication have changed from the printed word to the electronic transmission of live video from an individual to many. My current projects look at what it is for me to be a veteran and how my idea of a veteran has changed from when I first entered the military with no significant conflicts, transitioning to 15 years of forever wars and multiple deployments. Finally, to the present day, no longer in uniform. I’m exploring my transition from military service to civilian life.