Are dystopian readings of your work fair or are they missing something more complex? What is the role of grossness in your work? And what do you consider to be the difference between seeing and listening? Artists Kimberly Thomas and Britt Ransom join in a discussion on invention, speculative (non-)fiction, intuition, and thought walks. “As a human experiencing the world as it changes, the idea of attachment and the changing world is implied because everything changes. To move forward, things have to change. Do you feel like at some point your idea about keeping things or being attached to things would change for you too? Is it necessary? This tree was a root and it grew into this, but the future may be more wonderful than what is now.” — Transcript available on the GEEX website. Thanks to Wet Dog Glass and His Glassworks for sponsoring this episode! — Featured Speakers: • Kimberly Thomas (@iroczii): Interdisciplinary sculptor and flameworker, currently in residence at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. Visit Kimberly's website. • Britt Ransom (@brittransom_studio): Artist and educator based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Visit Britt’s website. — • Support the GEEX Talks Q&A Podcast! https://geex.glass/support/donate/ • ...And subscribe to the GEEX Talks lecture series! https://geex.glass/support/subscribe/ • GEEX Graduation Bundles: Available for a limited time on the GEEX Shop! https://geex.glass/shop/ • Follow @geexglass on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. — Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music in this episode by Otis McDonald. — Selected questions from the audience: • INTRO: Can you talk about your general impressions of each other’s practices? What did you learn from listening to each other’s lectures? • INVENTION, FABRICATION, & PUSHING MATERIALS TO THEIR LIMITS: ◦ FOR BRITT: Britt mentioned that 3D-modeling doesn't necessarily “want” to scan or copy something as fragile and complex as the work you produce. Why is pushing the limit of 3D-printing and other computer-aided tools an important part of your practice? ◦ FOR KIM: Kim discussed how she mixes her own colors and you frequently push the boundaries of what glass can do — whether that’s incorporating mixed materials like metal or making sculptures with moving parts — while making the fantastical inventions featured in your work. What is the importance of invention and fabrication in your practice, and how do they relate to each other? • SCI-FI, SPECULATIVE FICTION, & CYBORGS: Thinking of a line from Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower: "The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren't any other kind, and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees." Is science fiction or speculative fiction an important resource for you and your work? What authors or books have been important to you? Do you feel that dystopian readings of your work are accurate or are they missing something more complex? • SCALE SHIFT (MICRO, MINIATURE, & HUMAN-SCALE): Britt shifts the microscopic to human-scale, and Kim does the inverse by replicating human-scale objects in miniature. Can you talk about the significance of scale in your work? • THOUGHT WALKS (RESEARCH, INTUITION, AND OBSERVATION): You both mentioned going on “thought walks,” which made me think about how your practices balance research, intuition, and observation. What do you learn from thought walks? How does what happens “outside of the studio” influence your studio practice? • SEEING VS DEEP LISTENING: What do you consider to be the difference between seeing and listening? How does that relate to the genesis and making of your work? • CURRENT/NEW DIRECTIONS: How have storytelling and autobiography entered into your recent work? Can you talk about new and current directions in your studio practice? — Edited and produced by Emily Leach and Ben Orozco.
