
Los Angeles–based installation artist Pae White explores issues of site and context while blurring any boundary that may remain between art and design.
Developed during a FOR-SITE residency, White’s installation at New Langton Arts in San Francisco proposed new paradigms for art and landscape. Using a noninvasive data collection and mapping procedure, three-dimensional scans were taken of an 800-year-old massive oak tree, a wild raspberry bush, and a manzanita grove. White used these topographical scans as conceptual source material for a series of color-treated, morphing animations.
As a material rather than ethereal element of the installation, White incorporated ceramics drawn from the extensive collection of Joe Meade of Nevada City. Displayed en masse, these earthenware objects deconstructed the relationship between nature and culture.
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Pae White’s diverse practice combines elements of art, design, craft, and architecture to transform ordinary objects and materials into exhilarating sculptures, installations, and experiences, often finding wonder in humble and everyday materials. Her work has been collected and exhibited widely by institutions that include New York’s Museum of Modern Art, ZKM Center for Art and Media, and Tate Modern.
Photo credit: Enrico Fiorese