[ISEA2019] Artists Statement: Thomas Asmuth & Sara Gevurtz — Turbidity Paintings: Four Years In

Artists Statement

Keywords: eco-art, transdisciplinary, co-mutualism, artist presentation

In this artist presentation, Thomas Asmuth will give a report of new works and designs in the Turbidity Paintings project. An extensive transdisciplinary collaboration of artists and biological scientists has generated ecologically and environmentally focused work which simultaneously exists as scientific research and artistic/cultural products including color field print mosaics, visual and numerical databases, sculptural and video installations, custom scientific apparatus, and product design. This project started in 2015 and has radically evolved since Asmuth and his collaborators did training fieldwork in Hong Kong and presented on the initial findings at ISEA2016.

Custom Camera dolly, backdrops, and water from the Escambia Bay, Asmuth & Gevurtz ©2017)
  • Thomas Asmuth (USA) is a transdisciplinary artist; his practices are epitomized by the intersection of art, technology, and science. In recent work, he has collaborated with other artists and marine scientists on issues of water quality issues. This work has resulted in a wide range of outcomes including a new body of work that simultaneously exists as databases and art installations as well as new designs for low-cost water testing equipment. Asmuth’s presentations, papers, and exhibition work have also appeared at SECAC, 2017 Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, the International Symposium on Electronic Art (2016, 2017, and 2018) and the Balance UnBalance 2017 conference in Plymouth England. He has exhibited in online venues like NetArtizen and turbulence.org (sic) as well as the Pensacola Museum of Art, Missouri State University, 319 Scholes, the Laguna Art Museum, Zer01 Biennial, Salisbury University, Montalvo Arts Center, College of Wooster and the Tang Teaching Museum.
  • Sara Gevurtz (USA) is an Assistant Professor at Hastings College. Gevurtz graduated from the CADRE Laboratory for New Media at San Jose State University where she received a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Art. She received her bachelor’s degree in Evolution, Behavior and Ecology Biology from the University of California, San Diego (USCD). During her time at UCSD, she also minored in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts and Studio Art. Due to her interdisciplinary background, her artistic research focuses on ecological and environmental issues. Recently, Gevurtz has been working with both artists and scientists to develop a project to collect images and data on water quality, with the goal to create art that is data and data that is art. This project has been presented at both nationally and internationally, including at ISEA2017 in Manizales, Columbia, Balance Unbalance 2017 in Plymouth UK, and ISEA2018 in Durban, South Africa

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