Here's one of the works in "Weaving Data" at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University: Kayla Mattes, "Blue Screen of Death" (2018), handwoven wool, bamboo, cotton and polyester.
Here's one of the works in "Weaving Data" at Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University: Kayla Mattes, "Blue Screen of Death" (2018), handwoven wool, bamboo, cotton and polyester.
It’s called “Weaving Data,” and it features the work of Faig Ahmed, April Bey, Jovencio de la Paz, Ahree Lee, Kayla Mattes, Shelley Socolofsky, Joan Truckenbrod, Vo Vo and Sarah Wertzberger.
There’ll be an opening reception Thursday, Jan. 26 at JSMA at PSU, 1855 S.W. Broadway, among many related events.
Synopsis: Weaving is inseparable from the development of computing and software. Tracing the origins of contemporary computing to the invention of the Jacquard loom (1801) and its punch-card system situates textiles and the communities responsible for production in global conversations surrounding technology and media. Yet, despite this fundamental relation, computing and weaving continue to be regarded in opposite terrains and prestige. (The exhibit) examines the historical relationships between weaving and computing and explores constructs of “low” versus “high” hierarchies pervading technology and art.
Curators are Theo Downes-Le Guin and Nancy Downes-Le Guin. They write:
"Through analysis, metaphor, aesthetics, and humor, the artists in this exhibition interrogate and prod at the history and soul of high technology. Some collaborate with the very technologies they critique; others weave by hand, but use data or internet memes as a basis for woven patterns. Regardless of approach, the artworks tell a nuanced story about the nature of technology, a story both messier and more complex than the myth of linear progress from 'low' to 'high.'"
The JSMA at PSU will host a workshop with Ahree Lee titled “Pattern & Code” on Feb. 9 and 11, and an artist talk with April Bey on March 9 titled “Atlantica: Speculative Fiction and Black Opulence.”
“In our roles as news gatherers, reporters and editors, we have a responsibility to be informative, fair and entertaining, while also being clear and concise with our stories. In Portland, it’s all about delivering news that readers want to read about, while also covering news that needs to be covered.
“We also want to be competitive against other news media outlets, and provide Portland Tribune and Pamplin Media Group readers with quality stories they can’t read elsewhere — or do a better job on stories covered by our competitors. “With the Tribune’s Metro Life section, it’s our goal to publish stories and photos that not only catch the eye, but keep the eyes of readers while making them think and feel. Through our website and newspaper pages, we strive to do a variety of stories from many different walks of life. Human interest stories, we call them. “Thank you for reading.”
