Digital artist Lucy Hardcastle on synthesising "craft and technology together"

The work of London-based artist Lucy Hardcastle can be described in many ways, but “digital, real, physical and virtual,” is how the artist described her practice, opening her talk at February’s Nicer Tuesdays. Best known for creating visuals that “appear and feel digitally native,” Lucy took us through projects which define this and display her ability to represent technology in a tactile way.

Lucy’s work as a digital artist means she has a broad understanding of technology, but in particular our human relationship with its rapid development, hoping to “synthesise the worlds of craft and technology together,” on and off the computer. The artist’s talk taught the Nicer Tuesdays audience about how we’re experiencing a third industrial revolution, leading her to question “why things to do with technology have to look a certain way?”

In turn, the artist’s practice combines materiality and technology, for instance in her project Qualia, developed while she was studying at the Royal College of Art. “Essentially it’s an interactive glass interface, which really seeks to challenge what an interface can be,” she explains. The result is a responsive piece of glass when touched, appearing like “a magical vortex”. Since graduating many commercial clients have also knocked on Lucy’s door, seeing her working in collaboration with Chanel and i-D, Nowness and Alexander Wang.

Rounding up her talk by discussing the future of technology, Lucy relayed her fascinating thoughts on creating “a life-long companionship through what will be our digital future”.