Translating Data Into Print: My Summer Residency at AUArts
This summer, I’m excited to dive into a focused period of experimentation and research as an artist-in-residence at AUArts (Alberta University of the Arts).
If you’ve followed my work, you know I’ve been using historical weather data—especially temperature patterns from extreme weather events—as the foundation for my sculptural installations. These data points become abstracted, layered forms built with reflective, transparent, and often reclaimed materials. The resulting works aim to disguise the harsh reality of climate change beneath beautiful, attention-grabbing surfaces.
But now, I’m shifting the question:
What happens when those ideas are flattened into print?
This residency is a chance to find out. My project explores how to visually translate these data-driven sculptures into 2D works through printmaking and fabrication. I’ll be working out of AUArts’ printmaking and fabrication studios to develop new approaches in:
- Digital and silkscreen printing: To explore how layering translucent and metallic inks might mimic depth and reflectivity.
- Embossing and etching: Testing how tactile techniques can carry the weight of data and material memory.
- Substrate research: Working with both recycled and virgin materials—papers, plastics, metal—and digging into sustainable Canadian-sourced options.
- CNC etching: As a minimalist but potentially potent way to convey visual data through surface and shadow.
It’s part technical, part conceptual, and fully aligned with my ongoing practice of connecting environmental storytelling, material choices, and visual impact.
This journey will culminate in a public exhibition at AUArts opening August 15, and I’ll be sharing glimpses along the way. From research notes to behind-the-scenes process photos, you’ll be able to follow the whole evolution.
