Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems by Hite Art Institute

ISBN 978-1-365-69434-9

90000

9 781365 694349

UNSEEN: VISUALIZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

ISBN 978-1-365-69434-9

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

UNSEEN: VISUALIZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

INTRODUCTION

Madison Sevilla / Exhibition Curator

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Rivers and other natural pathways are prime

ecology incorporate the idea that no organism,

examples of how ecological systems intersect

human or non-human, can function in a sole

and impact one another. Locally, the Ohio River

ecological system.² Human societies function

has been plagued with cyanobacteria, which

much like the colonies of insects in a rainforest

create algae-like blooms in the water that are

in that each organism contributes to the function

dangerous to the 5 million people who rely on

of the whole. Colonies and societies both rely

it.¹ This bacteria flourishes when certain nutrients,

on stable environmental, social, and mental

like phosphates, enter the water due to runoff of

systems in order to operate without disruption.

fertilizers utilized in agriculture. This dangerous

When disruption in routine occurs it can affect the

anthropogenic bloom can be toxic to wildlife, and

totality of the aggregate structures.

has led to reforms in agricultural practices as well

Ecologies, as discussed by French

as increased costs of water treatment. Economic,

psychotherapist Félix Guattari in his book

political, and environmental concerns emerge

The Three Ecologies (2008), are independent

when one element is disrupted in these elaborate

and autonomous systems, yet the impact and

ecological systems. In Unseen: Visualizing

evolution of each system is contingent on the

Ecological Systems, Stephen Cartwright and

influence of the others.³ The term “ecology" often

Shohei Katayama demonstrate how such

prompts discussions about the environment and

ecologies are entangled. Their work offers a kind

focuses solely on the systematic transference

of artistic Venn diagram of overlapping regions

and existence of energy in the natural world.

rather than a scale to be balanced.

Environmental ecology recognizes the coaction

Cartwright and Katayama’s works act as

and reciprocity that takes place in various

fragments of the natural world. Social, mental,

ecosystems. Ecology takes into consideration

and environmental ecologies are made real

the role of a microbe in the continuing function

in their sculptures and drawings. This work

of a structure. Guattari’s three ecologies

embodies the intersections between ecological

assert that mental and social structures can

systems and reveal how such systems cannot

also be understood through the framework of

be disentangled. Indeed, theories of systematic

environmental ecology. In a society, each person

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Temperature 2014-2015) 2016

takes on a role that contributes to the continued

These portraits attempt to comprehend the impact

behavior of the system and, depending on one’s

that environmental systems such as temperature,

status, the impact can take place at a familial or

precipitation, and wind patterns have on the

global level. Due to the complexity of systems, it is

mundane aspects of his life. Since 1999, Cartwright

impossible to find them divorced from one another.

has recorded over 150,000 data sets in order to

Environmental changes can occur by first altering

compile information about his location, activity

mental and social systems, just as our social

levels, forms of activity, and mental health.

practices adapt based on a growing knowledge

Through analyzing various patterns, Cartwright

of environmental systems. The influence of the

gathers information from his extensive catalogue

honeybee on the human diet through their

to examine, for example, the impact that a single

pollination of crops and the growing concern over

weather event may have had in the larger scope of

the use of pesticides that has greatly decreased

his existence.

the population of colonies is an example of this

In Cartwright’s “Floating Data” series, he creates

intersection between ecologies.

colorful graphs encased in a transparent acrylic

Cartwright’s work functions as a self-portrait

composed of data from his routine activities.

that features data collected between 2014-2015. Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Temperature

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

2014-2015 (2016) explores the correlations between

The sculptures represent only a small portion

exertion and condition. This work acts as a journal

of the actual work being conducted while the

entry not only recording but also contrasting two

main body of work exists outside of the gallery

systems of energy. Cartwright’s sculpture indicates

walls. Cartwright’s incessant data mining and his

the steady link between temperature and human

acknowledgment of the complexities of existing

activity—as temperatures climb so does human

systems operate as a site-specific work in his daily

activity. However, at the extremes of summer,

activities.

human outdoor activity plummets below even the

The historical precedent for such work can be

most moderate of summer temperatures. On the

found in the land interventions of artist Robert

East coast the heat of summer is accompanied by

Smithson. His Spiral Jetty (1970), a 1500 foot long

complete exhaustion. The resulting low activity

spiral made out of rock and dirt in Utah’s Great Salt

levels lead to less travel and more time spent inside

Lake, was a significant marker not only for Earth

and thus to higher electric bills. The sculpture

artists, but for post-minimalism. Minimalism of

is also indicative of Cartwright’s region and the

the 1960s examined the viewer’s experience and

difference in environmental, social, and mental

brought art into the space of the viewer from the

ecologies based on geographic location. The high

detached sculptures on pedestals and gallery walls.

temperatures of summer and the lows of winters are

Minimalist sculptures involved a lived experience of

different not only globally, but also nationally, and

the viewer and forced them to encounter an object

can impact the outdoor work completed by farmers,

that was not directly accessible through a complete

construction workers, and other laborers.

reference. The work created limitations between

In a more introverted sculpture, Human Powered

the viewer’s language and the visual and was thus

Outdoor Activity 2014-2015 (2016), Cartwright

critiqued through actively experiencing the work.4

stacks two graphs that use shades of purple to

Minimalism compelled the viewer to take part in

provide a history of the artist’s time, location, and

a new form of exhibition experience that allowed

energy (image on page 9). The graphs run parallel

them to confront art from innovative perspectives.

and are suspended within the structure to create

Smithson’s post-minimalist sculptures grew out of

a clear visual correlation and to distinguish the

minimalism with a continued interest in the material

regions in which changes occurred between the

and human experience, but also persisted in further

two years. These snapshots of Cartwright’s life are

breaking down the formal critiques of sculpture. He

autobiographical in their documentation of not only

took work out of the gallery setting and integrated

his movements, but his daily decision-making.

sculptures into nature. The Earth art created at the

time was focused on site-specific structures and

fragments of the sited artworks, fragments that can

used natural materials found on location.

be digested within the gallery’s walls. Cartwright’s

Earth artists strived to create a purer form of art

data visualizations operate in this same manner.

that was free from becoming a commodified

The site-specificity of his sculptures occurs in the

object for the growing art market (although

ritualistic recording of data. The sculptures act as

documentation of the works often become

a form of documentation and become a non-site

commodified). The Earthworks created by Smithson

representation of his daily actions.

held an energy that work displayed within a gallery

Cartwright’s kinetic sculpture Chromatic Data

did not. The site, scale, temporality, and materiality

Oscillator (2016) serves as a vehicle for transcribing

of the work challenged received notions of “art

information into a visual form and becomes a

objects.” In Smithson’s essay “A Sedimentation

mode of delivery rather than a subject of traditional

of the Mind: Earth Projects” (1968) he states that

aesthetic discussion. The electronic sculpture

“the sculptor prefers to see his art indoors, but

features moving rods with multi-colored light-

the fact that his work ended up where it did is no

emitting diodes (LEDs) on the end that undulate

excuse for thoughtlessness about installation. The

and change colors according to the input data

more compelling artists today are concerned with

set. The work translates data based on the angle

‘ place’ and ‘ site’ .”5 Smithson used photography

of the rod and the color of the ball head. He has

and film to document his temporary Earthworks,

utilized a range of data sets including his daily

allowing him to display an aspect of these site-

meditation times in 2016 in correlation with

specific projects in galleries. He called this form of

his daily average meditation times overall and

art “Non-Site.” Smithson indicates a discrepancy

analyzes how his mental ecology has evolved. The

between how his Site and Non-Site works are

oscillator becomes a frame that holds the content

consumed by the audience and situates this

of Cartwright’s work—an active analysis of his space,

response in terms of disparities in energy between

decisions, and objective in the everyday.

the object and its representation. Smithson’s site-specific works include those that are actively

These sculptures create an echo of his life

that is quantifiable and stripped away from the

evolving, subject to time, and enhanced by their

human life that it mimics. These dehumanized

location. The Non-Site documentation is static

sculptures are created by compressing the

and separate from the actual occurrence and

intricate details of everyday life into a graph in

does not maintain the same energy that the Site

order to comprehend the ways in which various

work held due to its temporality. Non-Sites act as

ecological systems interact. Bed Time Single Set

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity 2014-2015) 2016

Data 2012-2014 (2015) is a topographical map of

field, defense, transportation industry, or academia

Cartwright’s sleeping patterns, which documents

have multiple factors that determine their sleep

an extensive list of late nights, major life events,

schedules. Fluctuations in mental ecologies also

stressful weeks, vacations, and beyond. This map

take part in irregular sleep schedules due to such

registers when Cartwright went to bed and woke up

conditions as stress, depression, and insomnia.

every day of the week for two years, revealing the

Cartwright’s sculptures have shifted focus since

uniformity of 104 Tuesday nights and the sporadic

2008 when he first began creating a series of “Lost

behavior of the artist’s weekends. The work creates

Landscapes” featuring topographic representations

a code that cannot be easily read in the scope of

of environments that have been altered due to

a single day, rather it asks the viewer to dismiss

human intervention. The blue acrylic sculptures of

the small fluctuations in order to appreciate the

Fort Peck (2008) and Sakakawea (2008) features

beauty, power, and determination of routine. No

layers of the existing surface area of these two lakes

one ecological factor contributes to the routine

over a time span showcasing the effects that man

of human sleep schedules. Human beings are not

can have on the environment. “Lost Landscapes”

nocturnal yet we have the ability to set our own

and other works by Cartwright such as 2030 (2009),

internal clock. Those in the emergency medical

which visualizes the predicted decay of snowpack

Cartwright’s most recent work resituates the

how the routine of the every man is intertwined in

responsibility and recognition of these impacts

these systems.

onto the viewer. Often in works that discuss

The multifariousness of systems is evident

ecology and the anthropogenic shifts in the

when viewing the works of both Cartwright

environment, the viewer becomes detached and

and Katayama. Katayama’s work is ecologically

feels little accountability towards the issue. When

aware, and he utilizes his artwork as a catalyst

photographs of an oil spill fill a gallery, it is far

for environmental conversations. Katayama

easier to blame the men on the ships or the CEO’s

examines the underlying patterns within nature

of companies than it is to acknowledge one’s role

by showcasing shifting perspectives, disruptions,

in the larger equation. Art historian T.J. Demos’

and systemic limitations in ecology. Katayama’s

explains the phenomenon of dissociation between

work examines the “thing-power” of non-material

the event and the viewer in his essay “Art and

objects and the entropy of organic and inorganic

Ecology” (2009):

subjects.7 Entropy is a measure of order that

One signal peril, indeed, is the tendency to accept the flattening of representation’s complexity and to surrender intellectual criticality in the face of the real urgency

of climate change. The danger here is the public’s passive deferral of responsibility to scientific expertise and governmental authority, which makes us vulnerable both to solutions forged by exclusive social and political interests and to the forces of commercial exploitation that would use green rhetoric for the purposes of economic profit.6

occurs within systems. A high entropy system is disordered, where as low entropy systems such as societies and colonies are highly organized. In low entropy systems there is more energy to be transferred into mechanical or systematic work. In Smithson’s writings he discusses entropy using the Second Law of Thermodynamics, “which extrapolates the range of entropy by telling us energy is more easily lost than obtained.”8 It is important to make clear that energy lost is not truly destroyed, but rather transferred into another form as explained by the law of conservation. Entropy levels are measured by the amount of order and the availability of energy that can be transferred

Cartwright traces his decisions on a quantitative

into work. Systems with more order also have more

level and understands the relationship that he has

energy built up that they can transfer. Political

to his environment and vice versa. He expresses

theorist Jane Bennett discusses the organization of

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

energy and the structure of non-material objects in

while the long rectangular panels and the circular

her book Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things

lens are reminiscent of an organism on a microscope

(2010) stating that:

slide. E.G.O. (Everybody Grows Old) exemplifies the order of these systems and the potential havoc

Even inorganic matter can ‘self-organize’:

and disruptions that highly organized systems like

inorganic matter-energy has a wider range

tornadoes can inflict on others.

of alternatives for the generation of structure

Sustain(ED) (2015) is a drawing separated into 140

than just simple phase transition... In other

individual panels that accumulate into one cohesive

words, even the humblest forms of matter and

structure when assembled. The drawing is grand

energy have the potential for self-organization

yet minuscule, resembling both the universe and

beyond the relatively simple type involved in

a microbe. Each section contains its own unique

the creation of crystals. There are, for instance,

pattern, which explodes outward from the origin

those coherent waves called solitons, which

point and contributes to the unity of the entire

form in many different types of materials,

work. The drawing features intersecting structures

ranging from ocean waters (where they are

created from the repetition of Venn diagrams

called tsunamis) to lasers.9

and the detailed markings create a mandala that condenses the Universe both immense and

Self organizing structures and the energy that

seemingly insignificant into one all-encompassing

inhabits them are explored in Katayama’s oil sharpie

structure. Katayama’s mandala contrasts with Tibetan

drawings that simultaneously resemble substantial

sand mandalas created by Buddhist monks that

events as well as microscopic organisms.

are tediously created over hours using sand and

Five separate panels make up the black and gold

then later destroyed symbolizing the temporality of

drawing of E.G.O. (Everybody Grows Old) (2015).

form. Mandalas are traditionally symmetrical, which

Each cyclical pattern on the canvas is broken and

creates a unified structure resembling a universe in

the outermost circle is erased by the edge acting as

harmony.10 Katayama’s drawing is less harmonious.

parentheses to contain the image inside. The panels

It celebrates diversity in more complex systems

of pure gold create a frame for the central image. A

and takes into account the relative ease with which

pattern of repeated circles generated in a ritual-like

systems can shift. The patterns in Sustain(ED) are

fashion dance across the canvas in organized chaos.

continuous and evolve from an inner axis that

The composition mirrors that of a weather system

extends outward towards the circular edges, much

Sustain(ED) 2015

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

like in Tibetan mandalas where the main source of

Hinduism, which both celebrate the end of the

energy is often found in the center of the image.

harvest season between October and November.

Sustain(ED) is created utilizing sharpies, a material

Each of the 140 black and white panels has a

more permanent and sustainable than sand,

unique design that corresponds to the overall

yet tedious and ritualistic in the application and

image of overlapping circles. White lines and

installation process. The 140 panels are temporarily

cell-like structures are drawn against a black

hung side by side in a 10 x 14 grid with small

background and make up the overlapping regions

gaps between each panel. Katayamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mandala

within the circles. The circles on the edge of the

is created and destroyed with the opening and

image are large and grow smaller as they collapse

closing of the exhibition and exists as a cohesive

inward. In the work, twelve dark circles resembling

form only within the mind of the viewer. By taking

an eclipsed sun sit towards the middle of the

in the artwork as a whole rather than focusing on

drawing as a reminder of the arbitrariness of time

each individual square, the image becomes one

in connection to the physical universe, rotation of

of various joining and intersecting regions that

the Earth, and temporality of human experience.

contribute to the entire body of work.

â&#x20AC;&#x192; Chained (2016) utilizes magnetically charged

â&#x20AC;&#x192; Sustain(ED) relates to political, cultural, and

iron flakes in test tubes to reiterate the idea of

religious ideologies as they take place in mental

a cohesive whole as a result of each singular

ecologies and the intersections that overlap.

operating element. In this installation, the test

Intersections within religions occur through the

tubes are strapped to a wall in a pattern that

repetition of the similar Gods, disciples, holidays,

allows the charge of the flakes to force movement

and fundamental teachings. In Abrahamic religions,

and patterns in the test tubes in close proximity.

such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there are

In Chained, the singular disruption of one test

obvious parallels to be drawn not only in their

tube creates an event that would force the

monotheistic qualities, but also in the existence of

entire structure to alter. Interruptions in systems

a Holy Book and the rules or commandments to

create disorder and lead to a chain of events

follow. In most religions there is a form of afterlife,

that halt progress and knowledge, and alter the

the location may take on a different form, but

transmission of energy into another path. When

there is a place that the soul goes to when the

these disruptions occur in political systems they

body dies. Religious holidays also tend to occur

might manifest, for example, as modifications

during the same months and often correspond to

in the allocations of funds. Over the past eight

the changing of seasons such as in Paganism and

years in the United States modifications in

funding to both NASA and climate change has

random frequency. The playful work questions the

resulted in adjustments to economic, political,

exchange between organic and inorganic systems.

and environmental systems. As slashes in funding

Acorns and magnetic fields are both organic,

occur progression halts and the funding is placed

yet magnets are man-made and the artwork is

elsewhere creating new pathways. Over the

intentionally deceiving. Katayama investigates

course of the exhibition, Chained begins to rust,

the deliberate interruption of systems and the

a natural reaction to the oxidation of iron and a

otherwise rigid definition of organic materials by

reminder of the presence of time in ecology and

questioning at what point an organism has been

the importance of the continuous maintenance of

dislocated from its organic origin.

sustainable systems.

Cartwright and Katayama provide viewers with

Much of Katayama’s past and present work uses

the groundwork to contemplate the interaction

organic materials. Balance (2015) for example,

between social, mental, and environmental

incorporates iron shavings, cobalt flakes, and

ecologies in Unseen: Visualizing Ecological

magnets to create a temporal work in a continuous

Systems. These artworks do not offer solutions to

state of change. In Katayama’s most recent work

ecological issues, instead these artists offer up

he challenges systems through his disruptions

visualizations of ecologies and question the infinite

and testing of systemic limits. Katayama’s work

and continuous intersections of systems. The works

plays with the breakdown of ecologies through

take on the role of both the Site and the Non-Site

the intervention of self-organizing matter. The

as discussed in Smithson’s writing by bringing

work establishes an understanding of how various

systems of ecology into the gallery space and

structures function and the unseen relationships

investigating where the overlapping regions exist.

between them. Katayama’s artworks investigate

Cartwright’s work exists outside of his sculptures,

the impact a single interaction can have on an

they are permanent in the section of information

entire system, causing it to either breakdown or

that he chooses to graph, but they have a

reconfigure. His sculptures reveal the fragility of

temporality that is dependent on Cartwright’s

systems while they also maintain an awareness of

life. Katayama creates analogies between his

the resilience of ecologies. Driving Me Nuts (2016)

visualizations and the ecological systems that are

inquires about the inorganic and the organic, the

represented. In his sculptures he brings nature into

intentional and the natural, and the seen and the

the exhibition space and questions the division

unseen. In this installation, hidden magnets are

between the organic and the inorganic. When he

placed in acorns, which wobble at a seemingly

removes the acorns in Driving Me Nuts from their

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Driving Me Nuts 2016

natural environment and alters their form do they

cannot be separated from humans and vice versa. In

become inorganic? This would suggest that when

the overlapping Venn diagram of these two systems

a natural object is brought into a gallery space it

where do the works of Cartwright, Katayama, and

becomes less natural. At what point does human

Smithson fall? If the assumption is that Smithsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

disruption in a system create work that is completely

Site works hold more energy and significance

dissociated from its original form? Defining the

because they are a temporal part of nature, the

degree of separation between these ecologies and

works of Cartwright and Katayama then must exist

where they intersect is a question investigated in

somewhere on a spectrum that distinguishes the

this exhibition. Systematic ecology suggests that

breaks between organic and inorganic, Site and Non

all systems are intertwined, that the environment

Site, and temporality versus permanence.

Lofton, Kara. "It's Not Just Lake Erie. The Ohio River Has A Major Algae Problem, Too." WESA Pittsburgh's NPR Newstation. NPR, 18 Nov.

2016. Web. 20 Nov. 2016. <http://wesa.fm/>. 2

Guattari, Félix. The Three Ecologies. London: Continuum, 2008. Print. Continuum impacts; Continuum impacts, p. 29. See, “Now more

than ever, nature cannot be separated from culture; in order to comprehend the interactions between ecosystems, the mechanosphere and the social and individual Universes of reference we must learn to think ‘ transversally.’ Just as monstrous and mutant algae invade the lagoon of Venice, so our television screens are polluted, saturated, by ‘ degenerate’ images and statements." 3

Guattari, The Three Ecologies, p. 29.

Fer, Briony. “Judd’s Specific Objects,” On Abstract Art. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997, p. 149. See, “As we have seen, Judd

used colour to help secure that sense of an overall value of the object. The object is on the floor; it is not seen in relation to a base or pedestal; it is seen for what it is, an object with an inside and an outside. The exposure of an inside simply reveals what is there, nothing is dissembled. But what this description fails to account for is something akin to Fried's duration, the succession of moments at stake in viewing Judd's objects. The sense of duration that I want to suggest here is one where each successive viewpoint on the object has the effect of cancelling another [...] Seeing 'from the front' means not seeing the other perspectives, means making them invisible; so many perspectives are destroyed just as they are created, cancelling each other out [...] For every property that is 'specific' and definable, there is another aspect which escapes that description.”

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Smithson, Robert., and Jack D. Flam. “A Sedimentation of the Mind: Earth Projects” Robert Smithson, the Collected Writings.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968. Print. The documents of twentieth-century art; Documents of 20th century art. p. 104. 6

Demos, T. J. “The Politics of Sustainability: Contemporary Art and Ecology.” Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a Changing

Planet. 1969–2009, 16–30. London: Barbican Art Gallery, 2009. p. 18. 7

Bennett, Jane. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. Print. p. 2-6. See, “The idea of

thing-power bears a family resemblance to Spinoza's conatus, as well as to what Henry David Thoreau called the Wild or that uncanny presence that met him in the Concord woods and atop Mount Ktaadn [...] Wildness was a not-quite-human force that addled and altered human and other bodies [... ]Thing-Power: the curious ability of inanimate things to animate, to act, to produce effects dramatic and subtle [....] thing-power arises from bodies inorganic as well as organic.” 8

Smithson, “Entropy and the New Monuments,” p. 11.

Bennett, Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things, p. 6.

Cochran, Tracy. "Mandala Architecture." Omni 16.12.1994. Print.

Photo credits for (Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Temperature 2014-2015) and (Human Powered Outdoor Activity 2014-2015) goes to Will Arnold.

EXHIBITED WORKS

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

STEPHEN CARTWRIGHT

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Temperature 2014-2015) 2016 Acrylic, dyed resin 2 x 22 x 12.5” Photo Credits: Will Arnold

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Driving Mileage 2014-2015) 2016 Acrylic, dyed resin 2 x 32 x16” Photo Credits: Will Arnold

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity 2014-2015) 2016 Acrylic, dyed resin 12 x 12 x 6.5” Photo Credits: Will Arnold

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Chromatic Data Oscillator 2016 LEDs, aluminum, servos, mixed media 96 x 30 x 17â&#x20AC;?

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity 2011-2014) 2015 Acrylic, dyed resin 7 x 5 x 3”

“Floating Data” (Driving 2011-2014) 2015 Acrylic, dyed resin 7 x 5 x 3”

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

“Floating Data” (Precipitation 2011-2014) 2015 Acrylic, dyed resin 7 x 5 x 3”

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

" D a t a To p o g r a p h y " (Bedtime 2012-2014) 2015 Hot cast glass 5.5 x 5.5 x 2.5â&#x20AC;?

" D a t a To p o g r a p h y " Data Casts: Wind Map 2014 Kiln cast glass 7 x 10 x 3â&#x20AC;?

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

S H O H E I K AT AY A M A

Driving Me Nuts 2016 Acorns, water, magnets, motion-sensor. 16 x 30 x 30â&#x20AC;?

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Chained 2016 Glass, Iron-oxide flakes, mineral oil, water, gear motor 96 x 48 x 7â&#x20AC;?

Splash 2016 Hand drawn oil-based white sharpie on latex 80 x 79â&#x20AC;?

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Tension 2015 Glass, neodymium magnets, HMA, epoxy, monofilament string 3.5â&#x20AC;? diameter

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Sustain(ED) 2015 140 framed hand drawn sharpie drawings 76.5 x 78.5â&#x20AC;?

E.G.O. (Everybody Grows Old) 2015 Hand drawn oil-based gold sharpie on latex, gold leaf 80 x 164â&#x20AC;?

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

ARTISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIOS

Stephen Cartwright Stephen Cartwright is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director for the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois in UrbanaChampaign, IL. He has exhibited work in various exhibitions around the United States working with a range of materials including glass, acrylic resins, and mechanical materials. Cartwright has received multiple fellowships and grants including the Illinois Art Council artist fellowship. Cartwright received a BA in Studio Art from the University of California at Davis and his MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University.

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Shohei Katayama Shohei Katayama is a Japanese American artist based in Louisville, KY. He has exhibited works in multiple exhibitions along the East Coast and has contributed in various large-scale projects including â&#x20AC;&#x153;ARTLIK NuLu 2016.â&#x20AC;? Katayama works with an assortment of materials ranging from the organic and the inorganic. He acted as the 2012 artist-in-residence at the Asia Institute Crane House in Louisville. In 2010 Katayama received his BA from Bellarmine University and is currently working towards his MFA at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA.

EXHIBITION CHECKLIST

Stephen Cartwright “Floating Data”

“Floating Data”

(Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Temperature 2014-2015)

(Driving 2011-2014)

2016

2015

Acrylic, dyed resin

2 x 22 x 12.5”

7 x 5 x 3”

“Floating Data”

(Human Powered Outdoor Activity and Driving Mileage 2014-2015)

(Precipitation 2011-2014)

2016

2015

Acrylic, dyed resin

2 x 32 x16”

7 x 5 x 3”

“Floating Data”

"Data Topography"

(Human Powered Outdoor Activity 2014-2015)

(Bedtime 2012-2014)

2016

2015

Acrylic, dyed resin

Hot cast glass

12 x 12 x 6.5”

5.5 x 5.5 x 2.5”

Chromatic Data Oscillator

"Data Topography"

2016

Data Casts: Wind Map

LEDs, aluminum, servos, mixed media

2014

96 x 30 x 17”

Kiln cast glass

“Floating Data” (Human Powered Outdoor Activity 2011-2014) 2015 Acrylic, dyed resin 7 x 5 x 3”

7 x 10 x 3”

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

Shohei Katayama Driving Me Nuts 2016 Acorns, water, magnets, motion-sensor. 16 x 30 x 30” Chained 2016 Glass, Iron-oxide flakes, mineral oil, water, gear motor 96 x 48 x 7” Splash 2016 Hand drawn oil-based white sharpie on latex 80 x 79” Tension 2015 Glass, neodymium magnets, HMA, epoxy, monofilament string 3.5” diameter Sustain(ED) 2015 140 framed hand drawn sharpie drawings 76.5 x 78.5” E.G.O. (Everybody Grows Old) 2015 Hand drawn oil-based gold sharpie on latex, gold leaf 80 x 164”

HITE ART INSTITUTE

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

The Department of Fine Arts at the University of Louisville

The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences is to

was founded in 1937. In 1946, the Department was endowed

improve life in the Commonwealth and particularly in the

as the Hite Art Institute in recognition of the bequest of

greater Louisville urban area, creating knowledge through

Allen R. and Marcia S. Hite. The Institute currently has 24

its research, sharing knowledge through its teaching, and

full-time faculty members, a full-time staff of six, and 400

guiding all its students to realize their potential.

undergraduate and graduate majors in the combined studio,

art history, and critical & curatorial studies areas. As the most

and sciences is the best preparation for life and work in a

comprehensive Fine Arts program in the state of Kentucky,

world of increasing diversity and ever-accelerating change

we offer majors the opportunity to earn a BA, BFA, MA or

because its prepares our graduates to be informed and

MFA in a variety of disciplines. Areas of study include art

critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and confident

history, ceramics, critical & curatorial studies, drawing, fiber,

communicators.

glass, graphic design, interior design, painting, photography,

printmaking and sculpture. The University of Louisville,

express their creativity, include ethical considerations in their

founded in 1798, is one of the oldest municipal universities

thinking, and experience the world from the perspectives of

in the United States. With a current enrollment of 22,000

other cultures. The College brings the heritage of intellectual

students, the University of Louisville is Kentucky’s major urban university and one of the most rapidly expanding universities in the United States.

The Hite Art Institute maintains six art galleries which

feature rotating exhibitions by nationally and internationally renowned artists and designers, as well as students and faculty of the Institute. Schneider Hall, on the Belknap campus of the University of Louisville, is home to the Morris B. Belknap Gallery, Dario A. Covi Gallery, and Gallery X, as well as a library dedicated to fine arts scholarship. The Cressman Center for Visual Arts, located in the heart of the downtown arts district, houses the John B. and Bonnie Seidman Roth Gallery, Leonard and Adele Leight Gallery, and the Alice S. and Irvin F. Etscorn Gallery for ongoing exhibitions, and

We believe that an excellent education in the liberal arts

Our students learn by doing: They conduct research and

tradition to bear on the challenges of the future.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE The University of Louisville is a state supported research university located in Kentucky’s largest metropolitan area. It was a municipally supported public institution for many decades prior to joining the university system in 1970. The University has three campuses. The 287-acre Belknap Campus is three miles from downtown Louisville and houses seven of the university’s 12 colleges and schools. The Health Sciences Center is situated in downtown Louisville’s medical complex and houses the university’s health related programs and the University of Louisville Hospital. The 243-acre Shelby Campus is located in eastern Jefferson County.

provides the public with an opportunity to observe the daily

Mission Statement: The University of Louisville shall be

operations of the glass studio.

a premier, nationally recognized metropolitan research university with a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences

Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems

and to the intellectual, cultural, and economic

Benjamin Hufbauer, PhD Associate Professor, Art History

development of our diverse communities and

Susan Jarosi, PhD Associate Professor,

citizens through the pursuit of excellence in five

Women’s and Gender Studies and Art History

interrelated strategic areas: (1) Educational Experience,

Pearlie Johnson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pan-African Studies and Art History

(2) Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activity, (3)

Jongwoo Jeremy Kim, PhD Associate Professor, Art History Director of Graduate

Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Communication,

Studies in Art History

(4) Partnerships and Collaborations, (5) Institutional

Delin Lai, PhD Associate Professor, Art History

Effectiveness of Programs and Services.

Cristina Carbone, PhD Assistant Professor, Art History

FACULTY Scott Massey, MFA, Associate Professor, Sculpture, Chair Moon-he Baik, MFA Associate Professor, Interior Design

Chris Reitz, PhD, Assistant Professor, Director of Graduate Studies in Critical and Curatorial Studies, and Gallery Director, Hite Art Institute

PART-TIME FACULTY Steven Cheek, MFA

Stephanie Maloney, PhD

Jennifer Dumesnil, MS

Gabrielle Mayer, MFA

Wendy Dunleavy, MA

Suzanne Mitchell, MFA

Brian Faust, BFA

William Morgan, PhD

Bill Gilliss, MFA

Peter Morrin, MFA

Megan Kocisak, MA

Nancy Pearcy, MA

Matthew Landrus, PhD

John Whitesell, MFA

Director of Graduate Studies in Studio Art

Sharon Leightty, MFA

STAFF

Barbara Hanger, MFA Associate Professor, Art Education

Bess Reed, PhD

Meena Khalili, MFA, Assistant Professor, Graphic Design

Mark Rosenthal, MA

Mark Priest, MFA Professor, Painting

PROFESSOR EMERITI

Ché Rhodes, MFA Associate Professor, Glass

John Begley, MFA

Rachel Singel, MFA, Assistant Professor, Printmaking

Thomas Buser, PhD

Program Assistant, Senior, Graduate Program Assistant

Steven Skaggs, MS Professor, Graphic Design

Stow Chapman, MArch

Jesse Gibbs, BFA

Leslie Friesen, BA Power Creative Designer-in Residence

Henry Chodkowski, MFA

Todd Burns, MFA, Associate Professor, Ceramics Kyoungmee Kate Byun, MFA, Assistant Professor, Interior Design Tiffany Calvert, MFA, Assistant Professor, Painting Mary Carothers, MFA Associate Professor, Photography Ying Kit Chan, MFA Professor, Foundations Mitch Eckert, MFA Associate Professor, Photography James Grubola, MFA, Professor, Drawing,

Graphic Design Maggie Leininger, MFA Assistant Professor, Fiber / Mixed Media Director, International Honor Quilt Project

Dario Covi, PhD Julia Duncan, MA Linda Gigante, PhD

Philip Miller, MFA, Assistant Professor, Foundations

Lida Gordon, MFA

Christopher Fulton, PhD Associate Professor, Art History

Jay Kloner, PhD

Theresa Berbet, MA Academic Coordinator, Senior Graduate Program Assistant Janice Blair,

Sculpture Shop Technician Jessica Bennett Kincaid, MA Coordinator of Collections and Exhibitions Renée K. Murphy, BFA Administrative Assistant Linda Rowley Unit Business Manager

ISBN 978-1-365-69434-9

90000

9 781365 694349

UNSEEN: VISUALIZING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS Unseen: Visualizing Ecological Systems