Aziz+Cucher, Guillermo Bert, Daniel Canogar, Windy Chien, Lia Cook, Tara de la Garza, Kira Dominguez Hultgren, James Lanahan, Ahree Lee, LigoranoReese, Aubrey Longley-Cook, Hideo Mabuchi, Clive McCarthy, Jordan Nassar, Casey Reas, Laura Splan, Susie Taylor and Aiko Tezuka.

Textiles have not only fueled the creative inspiration of artists throughout history, they also have provided the catalyst for technological innovation. Controlled by a chain of punched cards laced together in a continuous sequence, this new method revolutionized the textile industry.  Little did Jacquard realize that his invention would become a national treasure, nor that a century and a half later the punched card would be the inspiration for Babbage’s analytical engine, Hollerith’s tabulating machine and IBM’s first computer introduced in the 1940s and 1950s.

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This exhibition investigates the many unexplored relationships between craft and technology and demonstrates, through the work of a group of artists, how contemporary art practice has seamlessly embraced both. Many artists employing technology are motivated to strip away the “techy” aspect of their work and return to a “hands-on” approach, while weavers are fascinated by the idea of incorporating tech into their craft practice. 

Innovation provides the touchstone of tomorrow. Apple and Google will continue to bring us data solutions and offer shiny new objects of desire. Emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, data collection embedded in threads, and new production methods are currently being applied to the apparel industry. At the same time, weaving and tapestry are making a return as a vital art practice of the 21st-century.  Contemporary artists always continue to find ways to turn the technologies of the future back into art that subverts their original intent. This exhibition is guest curated by independent curator Christine Duval.

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Review by Sheryl Nonnenberg/Palo Alto Weekly/The Almanac:  HERE

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