Artists Statement

Hacnum Exhibition, Various Locations, May 16 – 21

Thirteen disposable plastic shopping bags playfully dance in the gallery space articulated by wave data collected on a voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

Data for this installation were collected as artist at sea resident aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute Research Vessel Falkor as it transited from Astoria, Oregon to Honolulu, Hawaii, July 2019. While in the middle of the enormous ocean, at times, it felt this place was completely untouched by human activities. This delusion was destroyed by the occasional piece of human made debris floating in this vast wilderness. Using an on-board accelerometer, every movement of the ship caused by wave action was collected during the entire journey. The Z movement data is directly mapped to the movements of the bags floating in the gallery space creating the effect that the bags are suspended in waves of the Pacific.  https://www.dwbowen.com/wilderness

• David Bowen is a studio artist and educator whose work has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions including ZKM Karlsruhe, Fundación Telefónica Madrid, Eyebeam New York, Ars Electronica Linz, BOZAR Brussels, Science Gallery Dublin, Itau Cultural, São Paulo, Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial Gijón, The Israel Museum Jerusalem, The Cranbrook Museum of Art Detroit, Intercommunication Center Tokyo and Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona. He is a two-time recipient of a McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship and has received awards such as Grand Prize, Japan Media Arts Festival; Honorary Mention, Ars Electronica; and Third Prize, Vida Art and Artificial Life international competition. Bowen has been an artist in residence at Autodesk Pier 9, The Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art, The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and The Arctic Circle. https://www.dwbowen.com