Written by Liandra Mullings
Photo by Danielle McGotty
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Swiss artist Katja Loher lectured on and answered questions about her artwork exhibition. Loher’s work is a part of PULSE Art + Technology festival, the Jepson Center’s annual free event.
Crowds of people filled the aisles to hear Loher explain her artwork and to experience the interactive pieces firsthand. PULSE is a traveling exhibit that showcases an abundance of young and renowned artists who make digital installations that are often interactive.
According to the Director and CEO of the Telfair Museum, Lisa Grove, PULSE has successfully traveled to different museums in places like Miami and New York for a total of nine years. Grove said that none of this could have been achieved without Head Curator of PULSE Harry DeLorm.
DeLorm also spoke at the lecture and said that the festival embodies “the next generation of art education.” The event also featured a live performance by Purring Tiger, a dance group. The group includes a select few local dancers who performed within designed layers of animation. Ongoing music played while drinks were served and the museum filled up.
Loher began explaining her focus in direction with her artworks which greatly dealt with nature. Specifically, the interaction humans have with nature and “the importance in the imbalance we create as humans.”
The artwork Loher showcased at the Telfair Museum includes a series of videos, mostly shown through hand blown glass bubbles and orbs of costumed dancers usually dressed as animals or bumble bees (another interest of Loher’s in her artwork). Other large glass spherical ornaments also showed GIF images, video sculptures and a digitally interactive elastic wall on which many other GIF and video related pieces were presented.
“I want to stimulate dreams, experimentation, imagination and humor,” Loher said.
She said she attempts to express this through kaleidoscope information, which she said is prominent and influential, and through organization of color and something she called a “Video Alphabet.” This is a reference she created for herself from original ideas she created with the many artists she collaborates with.
