INTERACTIVE TECH ART EXHIBIT FROM AUSTIN ARTIST AND PROFESSOR
Contracommon is proud to present Synthetic Symbiosis, a solo exhibition of works by Sydney Parks from June 24th to July 22nd, 2024. The opening reception will be held at Contracommon on Saturday, June 29th from 4-7 pm, featuring an informal talk from the artist at 6pm. Both the reception and artist talk are free to attend and open to the public.
Sydney Parks is an Austin-based interdisciplinary artist who works at the intersection of virtual and physical space. Holding a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Houston, her career spans exhibitions, teaching, and public art. Currently an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas in Austin, she teaches Interaction Design, Art Making in VR, and Code & Fabrication. Sydney’s artwork has been included in institutions like the Blaffer Art Museum and Lawndale Arts Center, with publications including HCE Review Volume II Issue I in Dublin, Ireland, and R2: The Rice Review 2019 Issue in Houston, Texas.
Synthetic Symbiosis is a collection of brightly colored and strangely textured multimedia artworks that invite participation from the viewer. Interaction with individual pieces elicit responses in the form of light, sound, and video. While these pieces rely heavily on Parks’ dabbling in coding and digital media software, there are also paintings and sculptural fabrications embedded in many of the works that reveal the artist’s hand.
“Technology is an extension of our hands and minds. I utilize it to elicit haptic experiences that create tension between the human body and the virtual world. Ultimately, the work highlights the nature of an evolving humanity, while realizing the limitations of integration that still exist. I invite people to use their bodies to interact with and control technology, as they collaborate to conjure a work of art. Coding and sensors make this sort of interactivity possible.”
Synthetic Symbiosis will be on view in the Contracommon gallery from June 24th to July 22nd, 2024. The gallery is open to the public Friday through Sunday from 12-6 pm, and private viewing appointments during the week can be scheduled at calendly.com/contracommon.
For more information, or to make donations, please visit contracommon.org.
