Weather came into the picture in 2006 when
I had two consecutive artist residencies at the
Fine Arts Work Center on Cape Cod. Zach
Smith—a climate educator from the Wright
Center for Science Education at Tufts University—knew of my work and approached me
about a project on climate change. At the time,
I knew I wanted to figure out a way for me to
collect my own data to see how the sculptural
translation process would change. Until then,
I had relied mainly on data sources from the
Internet. I was to field-test one of their instruments for the Wright Center on the beaches of
Cape Cod while being tutored in how to collect
science data. I knew very little about weather
and only the most basic Climate Change 101 information. I soon realized that if there was any
hope for me to truly understand the complexity of climate change, I had to first understand
weather. For over 14 months, I went to a specific beach on Cape Cod—rain or shine—and
collected weather data and observations. Rather
than diving right into climate change, I decided
that I would begin by studying weather and its
systems. My theory was that if I could understand how weather interacts in my own backyard, then maybe I could, one day, truly understand the complex interactions of natural and
man made factors that make up climate change.
To me, the key is to make that complexity
of weather tactile, to have it emerge from the
flatness of the computer screen and the abstraction of the graph—to literally realize it. I built
my own weather station and gather data every
day. I use the Internet to collect local, historical, and global data to put my findings into a
broader context. From all these numbers, I begin a translation process into the third dimension, using basket weaving as a simple spatial
grid through which to translate the data. By
staying true to the numbers, the forms I create
are not only tactile data visualizations; they are
also sculptures and installations through which
viewers can approach the information from all
sides. The premise is simple: if I can touch the
information, perhaps then the complexity of
climate change or weather can become more
real and understandable.
SAiA: In articulating scientific observations,
what does your artistic process consist of, going
from data to woven sculpture?
SciArt in America December 2013
NM: Data is my primary medium and forms
the DNA of my work. In this age of information-overload, the methods of data translation
for sake of clarity become poignant. While
visualization of data is nothing new, the use of
sculpture and musical performance as translation mediums is still somewhat unorthodox.
The work explores possibilities and provokes
expectations in both science and art—how
artistic processes can further our understanding
of scientific phenomenon, and how the integration of science can provide new trajectories into
artistic practices. By utilizing artistic and musical processes in combination with science data,
I am questioning and expanding the traditional
boundaries through which science data has
O Fortuna, Sandy Spins (2013). 18