been visually translated (ex: graphs, diagrams),
while at the same time provoking expectations
of what kind of visual vocabulary is considered
to be in the domain of “science” or “art”.
There are two parts to my process: data collection, and the sculptural or musical translation of data. The first part, data collection,
takes place in various forms. If I am looking at
a specific environment, I build very low-tech
data-collecting devices that collect information
on a daily basis. I record both the numbers the
devices are measuring as well as daily observations of things the instrument does not register.
My own observations and recordings are then
compared to sites on the Internet that record
similar data nearby. Everything gets collected
on clipboards, which end up having tons and
tons of charts and numbers and Excel sheets on
them. From the many variables I have collected,
I will choose two or three to begin the initial
translation process. Sometimes I go directly
into a sculptural translation. But lately, I have
started the translation process by first creating
a musical score built by the data I am translating. Since I neither play nor read music, the
score looks very nontraditional and functions
foremost as a kind of “architectural blueprint”
for my sculptures.
Basket weaving is my main sculptural medium
because it provides me with a simple yet effective three-dimensional grid through which to
translate data. The sculpture becomes collaboration between the material, the numbers, and
myself. The material I use to translate is reed,
which has an inherent tension that does not allow me to completely control it. If I push it too
hard, it will simply break. My lack of control
ensures that the numbers have as much of a say
in creating the form as I do. It is the changing
nature of the numbers over time as well as the
inherent tension of the reed that create the
shape of the sculpture. Only in certain instances
do I step in and exert pressure when I sense
the piece physically falling apart. I never know
what the shape will be beforehand, which often
leaves me scratching my head, as some shapes
are easier to work with than others.
shape will depend on what conceptual aspect
I want to further explore, as well as how it will
fit together aesthetically. Colors and shapes are
assigned to various variables (ex: red for temperature, blue beads for wind strength, etc.),
with legends next to the sculpture letting the
viewer know what each of them means. These
choices are directed through a combination
of referencing commonly associated shapes or
colors with certain variables (ex: temperature is
almost always either red or blue), as well as the
availability of materials I happen to have in the
studio. Sometimes the sculptures translate multiple sets of data of a specific period—let’s say
four months of data on Cape Cod. Other times,
the data is more carefully chosen to express a
narrative, such as the passing of a specific storm
system.
SAiA: Your work is wild in color, form, and
texture—how did you come to work in the materials that you do?
NM: I think a lot about play as a process of
thinking something through and as a visceral,
tactile language of moving between disciplinary boundaries. A question articulated through
science begins with a very different premise—
confined by its own language, expectations and
rules—than if I address that same question
within the context of art.
Like an opportunistic leech, I take from both
disciplines what I deem as essential in helping me explore what I am curious about. Play
allows me to circumvent these boundaries by
viewing my sculptures as three-dimensional
thoughts in space rather than physical objects.
We do some of the most creative learning when
we play—when we approach something with
no particular outcome in mind, but are open to
engage with whatever is being presented to us.
The work is light and fun, but only on a surface level. Your first reaction when you see the
work is, “Oh, this looks like my construction
toy set when I was eight,” but as soon as you
recognize the numerical logic that underpins
this chaotic playfulness, I think a deeper tone
enters the interpretation. This is when I think
Once the sculpture is done, I have a temporal the work becomes theatrical and even absurd
landscape on which I can plot more data that is at times. When you look at it in the context of
related to the initial relationship I was looking
what the work is addressing—climate change
at. How and what I will translate further on this and weather—the playfulness becomes a com-
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SciArt in America December 2013