Saturday, September 28 at 7pm at LEAP American / Zimbabwean artist Rosemary Lee presents as part of Art Hack Day (September 26-28), featuring 50 electronic artists.
The Berlin-based artist travels constantly, just returning from Athens for this show, only next to move on to Linz to study video game programming. Her artworks look more like apparati in nature than traditional forms art. She often has to explain to airport security that her artworks are not bombs, but indeed artworks. Luckily, they always believe her.
What are you creating this weekend at LEAP?
A translucent planar speaker playing sound modulated by atmospheric light. I’m playing with transparency, also in its political relevance, revealing the internal workings of the apparatus, reducing it, making the wiring the most prominent feature. I embroider patterns and text onto the surface, making the speaker a membrane, to experiment with the possibilities of surfaces in general.
While your art is very digital, it has a strong ties to organic matter.
There is a tendency to dichotomize technology/digital media and nature. These two facets are actually interrelated if you look at the material existence of digital culture.
Is it interesting to be a female in the digital art scene?
I am often the only woman in the group, but I’m starting to know more and more women working in this area. My experience is that people are very receptive and excited about cool ideas and projects, leaving the identity politics aside. LEAP is very interested in creating a balance, so I think it is something which people are conscientious about.
