Sunday, May 29, 2016

Event #2 Anne Niemetz Lecture

(Niemetz and I after her lecture (not pictured: her
curly brunette pony tail))
For my second event I attended a lecture by artist Anne Niemetz. A former student of Professor Vesna, Niemetz is an artist who incorporates different aspects of technology and science into her work. Niemetz began her lecture with a presentation of "wearable technology", a fashion project that consists of intricately structured silhouettes that light up and move. The artist's wearable technology line is engineered and designed specifically for on stage performances.
(Forks in Sockets installation, performance piece)
Not only is technology incorporated into the art form of fashion, Niemetz's work also contributes to the art form of theater.
She then discussed her installation, " Forks in Sockets". Forks in Sockets is an installation performance piece that involves a tesla coil playing a musical number while synced to a mobile of lights. I found this piece particularly interesting because it provides an embodied representation of electricity, in that, the tesla coil creates a visual bolt of electricity as well as an auditory sound by striking the metal conductor.
(Drone Sweet Drone, cross- stitch embroidery
of drones)
Lastly, Niemetz presented her "Drone Sweet Drone" exhibition. My favorite piece of her's, "Drone Sweet Drone" is a collection of cross-stitch needlepoint hoops that depict pictures of drones. I found this collection the most intriguing because it was the only piece of Niemetz's to offer social commentary. A play on the phrase "home sweet home" and an ironic use of  old-timey cross-stitch as a medium, "Drone Sweet Drone" juxtaposes aspects of home and comfort with the starkly modern and invasive existence of drones. Becoming more and more commonplace, drones were once only available for military use and are largely associated with war and murder. All in all, I really enjoyed Anne's lecture and am glad I had the opportunity to learn about such interesting and thought- provoking works of art. I think Niemetz's work is a perfect representation of the interplay between science and art, and I would highly recommend checking out her work to others.
(Niemetz and I, including her ponytail)

No comments:

Post a Comment