Mar 5 – John Gerrard: Networks and Power
Posted by | Conversations at the Edge | Posted on | March 1, 2015
Thursday, March 5th | John Gerrard in person!
John Gerrard, Pulp Press (Kistefos), 2013, Kistefos-Museet Sculpture
Park. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Jiri Havran
The works of John Gerrard (MFA 2000) often take shape as large-scale projections of meticulously crafted virtual worlds, astonishing in their scope and execution. Driven by sophisticated military modeling and video game software, they recreate the outposts of human industry—a 19th-century paper mill in Norway, mysterious roadways along China’s Silk Road, a solar power plant in Nevada, factory farms in Oklahoma—to address the networks of energy and power that have fueled modern life. Gerrard presents five recent interrelated projects—including Solar Reserve (Tonopah, Nevada) (2014), Exercise (Dunhuang) (2014), and his latest work-in-progress Farm (Pryor Creek)—and discusses the themes and technology that have informed his practice.
2009–15, China/Norway/US, multiple formats, ca 60 min + discussion
John Gerrard (1974, Dublin, Ireland) received a BFA from Oxford University in 1997 and an MFA from SAIC in 2000. His work has been exhibited around the world. Recent solo presentations include Solar Reserve, Lincoln Center in association with the Public Art Fund, New York (2014); Sow Farm, Rathole Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2014); Exercise, Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey (2014); Pulp Press (Kistefos), a permanent installation for Kistefos Museet, Norway (2013), among many others. Gerrard lives and works in Dublin, Ireland and Vienna, Austria and is represented by Thomas Dane Gallery, London, and Simon Preston Gallery, New York.
Tags: 2015 > China > Globalism > Installation > John Gerrard > Large-Scale Projections > Modernity > Norway > Real-time Computer Graphics > SAIC Alumni > Simulations > USA
About
Conversations at the Edge is a weekly series of screenings, performances, and talks by groundbreaking media artists.
CATE is organized by SAIC's Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation in collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center and SAIC's Video Data Bank.
Programs take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State / Chicago, IL / 312.846.2600), unless otherwise noted.
