Talk: DIY Art-based Earth Observations

The Foundations Lab is pleased to announce Heidi Neilson as the Fall 2022 Art+Sci Visiting Artist. Heidi will be giving a talk on October 18th and a workshop on November 1st. All members of the Pratt Community are welcome to attend!

In this talk, Heidi Neilson will present her recent projects which situate the local experience of land and landscape into a planet-wide scope by connecting with scientific instruments and Earth’s orbiting satellites. Her interdisciplinary approach using sculpture, radio transmissions, antennas, sound, and video is traced through particular pieces, such as a dynamic mechanical sculpture which continually points at the moon, site-specific custom-made antennas, installation works which articulate Earth’s orbital spaces as sound, and Here GOES Radiotelescope, a long-term satellite receiving station on the grounds of Wave Farm, the center for transmission arts in Acra, NY.

Biography:
Heidi Neilson is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores connections between people on the ground and off-planet conditions and infrastructure. She works in multiple mediums including radio transmissions, sound, prints, books, sculpture, electronics, and video.
Neilson has been awarded an Individual Artists grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (2022), Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Work—New York Foundation for the Arts (2015), Art Matters Grant—Art Matters Foundation (2013), and Individual Artist Support—New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Queens Council on the Arts (2021, 2018, 2007). Her work is exhibited internationally, and her artist books and other works are held in over 100 collections, including those of the Brooklyn Museum, Cleveland Institute of Art, Columbia University, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and Yale University.
Born in Oregon, Heidi Neilson received a BA in biology from Reed College and an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute, and she lives and works in NYC. Her ham radio call sign is KD2ESI. www.heidineilson.com.