Opening Friday February 13, 2004 from 6-10pm
February 13 – March 13
Situated somewhere in between that kind of pathetic guitar you made
when you were seven out of rubber bands and a slab of wood, and
the latest
geekbot you saw killing another geekbot spewing lots of gratuitous
wires, knobs, and dials, lies the work in TACTONIC, a show that
features objects of performance by artists Huong Ngo and Matthew
Steinke.
The duo, who met in the School of the Art Institute's Art & Technology
department, are teaming up to create an installation of instruments
to be performed by the viewer.
Huong Ngo likes to transform the experience of art viewing into an event
of social interaction. She incorporates performance, cultural criticism,
and acts of generosity in media-specific installations. Huong holds
a BFA from the University of Carolina and is currently earning her
MFA at the School of the Art Institute. http://www.huongngo.com/
Matthew Steinke's artwork rewires familiar technology in such a way that
his electronic elements begin to question their own utilitarian logic.
His semi-autonomous inventions, built from mundane materials, invite
your personal assistance and sympathy. Matthew Steinke holds a BA in
Music Composition and Sound from the experimental Evergreen College in
Olympia, Washington. After graduating in 1996 he continued to compose
and produced nine records in collaboration with Octant, Mocket, Satisfact,
and Miranda July. Matthew is currently earning his master's degree at
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Art and Technology
Program. There he is studying with Jin Soo Kim, Shawn Decker, Jon Fisher,
Tiffany Holmes, and Nicolas Collins developing interactive, robotic,
and sound installations. http://www.matthewsteinke.com/
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my work involves disrupting the space of a gallery and catalyzing
unexpected social interaction.
Either wearables or interactives, the objects refer back to the user's
body as well as his/her relationship to other bodies in the space.
For Tactonic, I created three sets of objects to be worn and performed
by the viewer.
Fetter, a felt fanny pack attached to double funnels, is a stuttering machine. As the wearer speaks into one funnel, a voice stutters randomly generated confessions of "f words" (ie. I f-f-f-find the f-f-f-f-ear in f-f-f-f-f-ucking) through the other funnel. The voice catches on a loop of f's, to be released only by the wearer's participation.
The last wearable is modeled from a lead vest used
in medical and dental X-ray exams. When viewers wear the vest
and press embedded
switches, the instrument plays an imaginary language through integrated
speakers that borders on music that a broken toy might create.
The "action points" are intentionally located so that
the user must touch his/her body in various erogenous zones.
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