research overview
- Joel Swanson is a contemporary American artist and academic who explores the boundaries between language, technology, and visual art. At the University of Colorado Boulder's ATLAS Institute, he serves as both Associate Professor and director of the TYPO Lab, where he leads experimental investigations into text-based technologies and their cultural implications. Swanson’s artistic practice manifests in multiple forms–from large-scale public installations and dynamic digital projections to interactive sculptures that challenge viewers' relationship with text. His work often plays with linguistic paradoxes and the materiality of language itself, inviting audiences to reconsider their assumptions about written communication. Through his research and creative work, Swanson examines how digital technologies are reshaping our understanding of language and meaning. His pieces frequently highlight the tension between analog and digital modes of communication, inviting viewers to question their assumptions about how we read, write, and interpret text in contemporary society.