Art and Obsolescence

This week we’re visiting with artist Meriem Bennani – by popular demand! Meriem has been one of the most requested guests, and is a personal favorite, so we simply had to have her on the show. Meriem effortlessly weaves cartoonish slapstick humor into her videos and animations, even when she is taking on dead serious topics. Her work is accessible and inviting, and her work is equally at home on social media platforms as it is in major museum collections. In recent year’s Meriem’s work has grown in scale, developing into quite complex and ambitious site-specific installations. Tune in to hear the story of Meriem’s evolution as an artist, and a generous behind-the-scenes glimpse into her process and practice.Links from the conversation with Meriem> http://meriembennani.com> Two Lizards: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/meriem-bennani-2-lizards-1839054 > Life on the Caps @ The Stoschek Collection: https://www.jsc.art/exhibitions/meriem-bennani/New way to support the show - join us on Patreon!> https://patreon.com/artobsolescenceJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

This week we’re visiting with someone who quite possibly has the longest running career in installing and maintaining time based media art installations. Richard Bloes has served as an AV technician at the Whitney Museum of American art for over 41 years, and has accrued an incomparable wealth of knowledge. If there is a potential way for an artwork to malfunction, break or be installed incorrectly Richard has seen it and probably knows how to fix it. In addition to the hard earned lessons won over many decades of collaborating directly with incredible roster of artists, Richard is also an artist himself and has maintained practice over the years that has unquestionably enriched and supported his work as a technician who has devoted his entire professional career in the service of other artists intentions and vision. This week’s episode is full of charming anecdotes and terrifying stories of the hard realities of collecting exhibiting and conserving time-based media art.Links from the conversation with Richard> V-yramid: https://whitney.org/collection/works/5459> Magnet TV: https://whitney.org/collection/works/6139> Fin de Siecle II: https://whitney.org/collection/works/8532> Earl Reiback: https://whitney.org/artists/1080New way to support the show - join us on Patreon!> https://patreon.com/artobsolescenceJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

This week on the show we’re visiting with brilliant artist WangShui, whose work prominently featured in this year’s Whitney Biennial is very much a continuation of their introspection and exploration of post-humanism, trans identity, and human/machine collaboration – in the form of etchings and paintings on aluminum performed in collaboration with a carefully cultivated AI collaborator, and a real-time, generative, interwoven LED mesh and screen-based video piece.  In this chat we not only dive deeply into the juicy technical and material details of WangShui’s work, but also hear their very personal origin story as an artist.Links from the conversation with WangShui> https://www.wangshui.co> From Its Mouth Came a River of High-End Residential Appliances: https://youtu.be/HpiXEDJ_1YU> The 2022 Whitney Biennial: https://whitney.org/exhibitions/2022-biennial?section=60#exhibition-artworks New way to support the show - join us on Patreon!> https://patreon.com/artobsolescenceJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

This week on the show we’re visiting with conservation technician, software developer, hardware hacker, and artist Emma Dickson, who you may recall as the guest host of Episode 010 with Shu Lea Cheang. Ever since their first foray into the field working to analyze and restore Shu-Lea’s legendary net art piece Brandon at the Guggenheim as part of their Conservation of Computer Based Art initiative, Emma has gone on to do great work with an impressive CV as a professional software developer, and conservation technician. Tune in to hear Emma’s story!FootnoteFor the two Guggenheim projects mentioned in the episode, Emma wanted to note the project teams. For Brandon: Joanna Phillips, Deena Engel, Jonathan Farbowitz and Jillian Zhong; and For Net.flag: Agathe Jarczyk, Deena Engel and Jonathan Farbowitz. Links from the conversation with Emma> https://emmadickson.info/> https://news.artnet.com/art-world/guggenheim-brandon-digital-art-962129New way to support the show - join us on Patreon!> https://patreon.com/artobsolescenceJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

This week on the show we are visiting with brilliant gallerist Ebony L. Haynes, who founded and runs 52 Walker, a David Zwirner gallery. As you'll hear in this episode, Ebony has crafted a space where she and the artists she works with are doing things differently. The installations are large, ambitious, and not exactly easy to collect — involving virtually every fathomable medium: multichannel video installations, kinetic light and sound installations, performance, and more. This coupled with the pace of programming of four shows a year - each one a solo show, each one results in a published book - it’s just sort of an art nerd’s dream. Not to mention that they recently  launched a circulating library within the gallery. Tune in to hear Ebony's story!Links from the conversation with Ebony> https://www.52walker.com/> https://www.davidzwirner.com/New way to support the show - join us on Patreon!> https://patreon.com/artobsolescenceJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

Over the first nine months and thirty episodes of this little podcast we have heard the stories of some incredible guests: artists, curators, collectors, conservators, and more – and the nuggets of wisdom that they have shared along the way have been truly invaluable. This week we're trying something a little bit new, and we’re calling it The Advice Episode - compiled on this week’s show are all of the moments of our guests sharing hard earned expertise and advice. Featuring in order of appearance:  Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Magda Sawon, Lynn Hershamn Leeson, Cy X, Tina Rivers Ryan, American Artist, Gary Hill, Bridget Donahue, Pavel Pyś, Pip Laurenson, Asti Sherring, Christine Frohnert, Glenn Wharton, sasha arden, Patricia Falcao, Kayla Henry-Griffin, Christianne Paul, Chrissie Iles, Pam Kramlich, Robert Rosenkranz, and Legacy Russell. Enjoy, and as always you can find the full transcript at artandobsolescence.comNew way to support the show - join us on Patreon!> https://patreon.com/artobsolescenceJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

Although the role that technology plays in a work of art can sometimes be fluid and flexible, stewardship of time-based media art still requires material connoisseurship: a deep understanding and appreciation for the medium, its artistic possibilities and limitations. This week’s guest Lori Emerson, has built an academic body of work steeped in just that sort of connoisseurship, rooted in the world of electronic and experimental poetry. By establishing the Media Archaeology Lab in 2009, Lori has made it possible for countless others to learn about the creative affordances of yesterday’s technologies. Tune in to hear Lori’s story, for a virtual walking tour of the lab, and to hear what solutions yesteryear’s technologies may have for today’s problems.Links from the conversation with Lori> https://www.mediaarchaeologylab.com/> Visit the lab: https://go.oncehub.com/MediaArchaeologyLab> Follow Lori on Twitter: https://twitter.com/loriemerson> Follow the MAL on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mediarchaeologyJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

This week, we visit with Pavel Pyś, Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center. Much like The Walker itself, Pavel's curatorial practice is incredibly interdisciplinary. Although he certainly doesn’t label himself a curator of digital art, media art, or performing arts, it just so happens that for Pavel much of the important artists you'll find him working with at The Walker and beyond are utilizing and integrating moving image, sound, light, performance, sculpture, painting, everything - and in some cases all of the above within one work of art. Tune in to hear Pavel's story, how he came to The Walker, and his ongoing curatorial work there and beyond.Links from the conversation with Pavel> The Walker Art Center: https://walkerart.org> Carolyn Lazard: Long Take: https://walkerart.org/calendar/2022/carolyn-lazardJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate

On this week’s show we chat with time-based media conservator Shu-Wen Lin who has led an incredibly prolific career over the past five years or so, serving as the very first time based media conservator at numerous institutions, and working in museums in over four different countries – including Hong Kong, Taipei, Canada, and the USA. Prior to working as a time-based media conservator Shu-Wen also worked as an archivists for contemporary artists such as Sterling Ruby, and Cai Guo-Qiang. In our chat Shu-Wen shares some of the highlights of her work, not least of which a recent virtual symposium she co-organized to help build local time-based media conservation expertise and community in east and south-east Asia. Tune in to hear all of this and more.Links from the conversation with Shu-Wen> https://caiguoqiang.com> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Ruby> https://www.mplus.org.hk/en> https://ago.ca> Virtual symposium co-organized by Shu-Wen: https://event.culture.tw/TMOFA/portal/Registration/C0103MAction?useLanguage=en&actId=10049&request_locale=en> Another interview with Shu-Wen: https://tmofa.tycg.gov.tw/ch/online-art/podcast/7Join the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/

This week on the show we sit down with time-based media art conservator and doctoral researcher Patricia Falcão. Through her many years of work and research at the Tate, and elsewhere, Patricia has been massively contributing to how our field approaches the acquisition, documentation, and long term care of software-based works of art. Tune in to hear the winding road that led Patricia from traditional Rococo woodworking, to time-based media art.Links from the conversation with Patricia> https://www.tate.org.uk/research/studentships/current/patricia-falcao> Subtitled Public: https://www.lozano-hemmer.com/subtitled_public.phpJoin the conversation:https://twitter.com/ArtObsolescencehttps://www.instagram.com/artobsolescence/Support artistsArt and Obsolescence is a non-profit podcast, sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and we are committed to equitably supporting artists that come on the show. Help support our work by making a tax deductible gift through NYFA here: https://www.artandobsolescence.com/donate