Event 5/3: DESMA MFA Exhibition ~ Delete Me

Event 5/3
Design Media Arts MFA Exhibition: DELETE ME
Location: Broad Arts, Wight gallery
Date: 18 May 2017
Time: 5:00 - 7:00pm
Focus Artist: Lander
Piece: Knicker Twister


I attended a multi-artist exhibition called DELETE ME, in which eleven artists displayed a total of sixteen exhibitions related to the concept of the human condition as it relates to a world that is permanently etched into a digital atmosphere. “Deletion has always been work - that’s why there are editors. It’s a labor of reclaiming space, creating conditions to begin again” (http://dma.ucla.edu/exhibitions/mfa/deleteme/).  

Following the theme of “reclaiming space” and “creating conditions to begin again,” the work, Knicker Twister, of artist Lander is a general commentary on the state of humans as we react to our internal thoughts and external environments. He calls the work, which he said took him four months to complete, an ode to “big fusses over little issues.” Occupying the center of the gallery, the Knicker Twister is an illuminated, rotating tornado of boxes, children’s toys, dolls, figurines, and underwear all dipped in white paint and powered by a hydraulic system that you can see powering the movement of the piece. The mechanics behind the system are four circuits of liquid being pumped through the entire piece, and is something that I interpret as representing our internal thought system and that is the literal lifeblood that fuels the system.






Furthermore, the artist claims that his choice of objects is irrelevant and open for interpretation. At the base of the piece is a stack of toilet paper encased in a fancy, glass case that one would typically display a cake in. The artist claimed that the idea behind the piece of that people tend to make a big deal out of little things, and these little things begin to build up into a storm of unnecessary conflict. Ultimately, he claims that it is meaningless and silly for us to make such a big deal out of little things. “Why is the toilet paper in a glass case?” “That’s the point, isn’t it? It’s silly.”

One element that he did explicitly state a purpose for was the presence of digital screens containing images of various people of various races, genders, and ages. This element of the piece was to signal that this condition of making a big deal out of little things is universal - it is something that can affect anyone anywhere.




Lander's work is a perfect example of the intersection of art, science, and technology, especially considering that he figured out how to make the hydraulic pump system work all on his own. I would recommend that my classmates visit this exhibit and see what the other artists have to offer as well.





selfie of participation with the artist Lander
Here are some other images of some of the works from other artists represented at the exhibition.













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