tree tentacles feeling in space: can you hear them talking?
9’11” x 11’2” x 14’9”
Steel
2019
2019 Artist Intern
Artist Statement
Themes that often occur in my work are networking systems, modes of connection and acts of remembering. I investigate how humans and technology have developed a symbiotic relationship, which results in the constant presence of smart devices in one’s life, by drawing comparisons to similar relationships in nature. One of these systems that I reference continuously is the fungal-tree-root network.
Processes such as metal and digital fabrication, and image projections are integral to my work. These include welding, aluminum casting and image manipulation. Trees have an intricate communication system and a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizae (root fungi) that allows them to transport nutrients and information among themselves. On my casted sculptures the sprue systems are designed to be left intact and are inspired by these natural networks. They also often cradle the form or become the form itself. The process of making is crucial in itself since it also represents a system.
The sense of ubiquity that is developed through Internet interactions is empowering, but also misleading and one can observe some similarity between this network and fungal systems. Intangible Realities, in particular, was also inspired by the idea of dreaming and sleeping, which I compare to being online and drifting elsewhere while being stationary. The small size makes the work symbolic becoming a metaphor for a node in the network. The sprue system kept within the aluminum casts, also an integral part of its fabrication, alludes to the underlying, often hidden networks. The embedded organic and inorganic networks present within the nuanced techno-human relationship continues to motivate my art.
Fanni Somogyi
Born: Budapest, Hungary, 1995
Resides: Baltimore, MD, USA
Education
BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, 2019