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Thu Jan 17 09:40:16 EST 2013

projects with an incredible range of integrated components.  The cello
project (like all of Shani=92s signature work) required her to learn and
master NEW knowledge/skills: the machining of custom aluminum components,
the design of mechanical parts and custom electronics, and the programming
of microcontrollers, to name a few.  (This constant drive to challenge
herself to research and learn new bodies of knowledge *at a professional
level* became a signature characteristic of her working process).

The cello piece would not work without all of the elements working in
synchronicity and she could design and plan multiple levels of a project
simultaneously=97on paper and in her head.  She made it look effortless:
detailed planning, ordering of electronic and mechanical parts, learning
programming, and finally, coordinating all of the parts into a poetic
artwork.  As we were both in pursuit of knowledge about electronics,
robotics, and mechanical design, we spent a lot of time together finding
people who could teach us those things, teaching ourselves, and sharing
ideas.  Nothing stopped her, or us.  It should be noted that while Shani
was strong willed and driven to do her projects, she was also incredibly
gifted in her ability to bring people together socially and for projects.
She thrived in the company of other intellectuals.

In 2000, we were booted from the studio we had been sharing on campus
(=93squatting=94 might be the more accurate term for what we were doing), a=
nd
managed to convince someone to let us use a dirty, vacant (and undesirable)
space in the engineering building.  We managed to neaten it up for a half a
year and during that time we began thinking about creating our own artists=
=92
collective.  We wanted a women only, technology focused art group. In the
spirit of Carnegie Mellon=92s cross disciplinary practice, we formed =93TnA=
,=94
(Technology and Art, purposely punned, bad, I know=85) which consisted of a=
rtists
and scientific researchers in the School of Art, Computer Science, Robotics
Institute, and Human-Computer Interaction and included: Sonya Allin (Human
Computer Interaction) Alison Bruce(Robotics), Beatriz da Costa (Art), Heidi
Kumao (Art), Anat Pollack (Art), and Brooke Singer (Art).

This group developed our first (and only) collaborative project and
exhibited it as part of the 2001 Sculpture Conference in Pittsburgh.
=93Nomadika:
No Strings Attached?=94 was a multi-part (again) project and live storefron=
t
installation that explored Wireless technology and Surveillance. We posed
as employees of Nomadika, a fictional marketing firm. We collected data on
our users and displayed it publicly in real time, as well as tried to
inform the public about the costs of giving away personal data.  It seems
dated now, but at the time, it was an exciting topic and I had a lot of fun
making the piece collaborating with 5 incredibly smart women.  We
performed, we educated, we critiqued. And in perfect Shani fashion, the
project concept was addressed from multiple angles. From my perspective, a
lot of what she carried through to other projects such as =93Swipe=94 and
=93Zapped!=94 incorporated a similar approach. It was critical that her
projects include interacting with and educating the public about a research
topic, and critiquing socially accepted beliefs about science and
technology. She did this until the very end.

I will stop for now and let others have their say=85

Heidi Kumao

--=20
Heidi Kumao
Associate Professor
Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design
University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109

hkumao at umich.edu
Office: 734.763-0183
www.heidikumao.net

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<p class=3D"">Hi all,</p>

<p class=3D"">I=E2=80=99ve been reading what everyone has written and becam=
e
especially nostalgic when Antoinette was describing the Robotic Cello piece=
.<span style>=C2=A0 </span>Shani (Beatriz) and I started sharing a
studio at Carnegie Mellon University at that time, and I witnessed almost e=
very
aspect of that project=E2=80=99s construction and complexities=E2=80=A6oh, =
the golden days!</p>

I will start my writing here by sharing some of my impression=
s
and memories of Shani=C2=A0 as she was just
establishing herself in the U.S. as an artist.

<p class=3D"">=C2=A0</p>

I first met Shani in late 1999 at Carnegie Mellon where she
was an exchange student from Aix-En-Provence finishing her thesis project (=
the
cello) and I was a Research Fellow at the Studio for Creative Inquiry.<span=
 style>=C2=A0 I was sitting in on Simon Penny=E2=80=99s course on
technology, theory, and culture, which had an amazing array of artists,
engineers, computer scientists, and other interested parties (including Sha=
ni) all
joining into the lively class discussions. The culture of Carnegie Mellon=
=E2=80=99s art
community at that time was incredibly fluid in terms of the art and technol=
ogy
crowd.=C2=A0 Potlucks, parties, and meetings
at bars would always include a mixture of art students and faculty, as well=
 as
Ph.D. students in robotics, computer science, and AI.=C2=A0 </s=
pan>It was a magical time to be at Carnegie
Mellon as it was the home base for many great tactical media practitioners =
and
artist collectives including: Critical Art Ensemble, Simon Penny, Institute=
 for
Applied Autonomy, SubRosa and other groups working out of the Studio for
Creative Inquiry, a think tank for creative research . Working collaborativ=
ely
was commonplace and we all seemed to share similar ideas about the function=
 of
art and the artist in society.=C2=A0 I say all
this to frame the environment that Shani and many of us shared at that time=
,
and also to contextualize what would become integral aspects of her working
process.=C2=A0

<p class=3D"">=C2=A0</p>

<p class=3D"">From the very beginning, Shani had an amazing capacity to
develop complex projects with an incredible range of integrated
components.<span style>=C2=A0 </span>The cello project (like all
of Shani=E2=80=99s signature work) required her to learn and master NEW kno=
wledge/skills:
the machining of custom aluminum components, the design of mechanical parts=
 and
custom electronics, and the programming of microcontrollers, to name a
few.<span style>=C2=A0 </span>(This constant drive to challenge
herself to research and learn new bodies of knowledge <i style>at a profess=
ional level</i> became a signature characteristic of her
working process).</p>

The cello piece would not work without all of the elements
working in synchronicity and she could design and plan multiple levels of a
project simultaneously=E2=80=94on paper and in her head.=C2=A0 =
She made it look effortless: detailed planning,
ordering of electronic and mechanical parts, learning programming, and fina=
lly,
coordinating all of the parts into a poetic artwork.=C2=A0 </sp=
an>As we were both in pursuit of knowledge about
electronics, robotics, and mechanical design, we spent a lot of time togeth=
er
finding people who could teach us those things, teaching ourselves, and sha=
ring
ideas.=C2=A0 Nothing stopped her, or us.=C2=
=A0 It should be noted that while Shani was
strong willed and driven to do her projects, she was also incredibly gifted=
 in
her ability to bring people together socially and for projects. She thrived=
 in
the company of other intellectuals.=C2=A0

<p class=3D"">=C2=A0</p>

In 2000, we were booted from the studio we had been sharing
on campus (=E2=80=9Csquatting=E2=80=9D might be the more accurate term for =
what we were doing),
and managed to convince someone to let us use a dirty, vacant (and undesira=
ble)
space in the engineering building.=C2=A0 We
managed to neaten it up for a half a year and during that time we began
thinking about creating our own artists=E2=80=99 collective.=C2=
=A0 We wanted a women only, technology focused
art group. In the spirit of Carnegie Mellon=E2=80=99s cross disciplinary pr=
actice, we
formed =E2=80=9CTnA,=E2=80=9D (Technology and Art, purposely punned, bad, I=
 know=E2=80=A6) which
consisted of artists
and scientific researchers in the School of Art, Computer Science, Robotics
Institute, and Human-Computer Interaction and included: Sonya Allin (Human
Computer Interaction) Alison Bruce(Robotics), Beatriz da Costa (Art), Heidi
Kumao (Art), Anat Pollack (Art), and Brooke Singer (Art).=C2=A0=

<p class=3D""><span style>=C2=A0</span></p>

This
group developed our first (and only) collaborative project and exhibited it=
 as
part of the 2001 Sculpture Conference in Pittsburgh.=C2=A0 </sp=
an>=E2=80=9CNomadika: No Strings Attached?=E2=80=9D was a
multi-part (again) project and live storefront installation that explored
Wireless technology and Surveillance. We posed as employees of Nomadika, a =
fictional
marketing firm. We collected data on our users and displayed it publicly in
real time, as well as tried to inform the public about the costs of giving =
away
personal data.=C2=A0 It seems dated now, but
at the time, it was an exciting topic and I had a lot of fun making the pie=
ce
collaborating with 5 incredibly smart women.=C2=A0
We performed, we educated, we critiqued. And in perfect Shani fashio=
n,
the project concept was addressed from multiple angles. From my perspective=
, a
lot of what she carried through to other projects such as =E2=80=9CSwipe=E2=
=80=9D and =E2=80=9CZapped!=E2=80=9D
incorporated a similar approach. It was critical that her projects include
interacting with and educating the public about a research topic, and
critiquing socially accepted beliefs about science and technology. She did =
this
until the very end.

<p class=3D""><span style>=C2=A0</span></p>

<p class=3D""><span style>I
will stop for now and let others have their say=E2=80=A6<br></span></p>

<p class=3D""><span style>=C2=A0</span></p>

<p class=3D""><span style>Heidi
Kumao</span></p>

<p class=3D""><span style>=C2=A0</span></p>

<br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>Heidi Kumao<br>Associate Professor<br>Penny W.=
 Stamps School of Art &amp; Design<br>University of Michigan<br>2000 Bonist=
eel Blvd.<br>Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109<br><br><a href=3D"mailto:hkumao at umic=
h.edu" target=3D"_blank">hkumao at umich.edu</a><br>
Office: 734.763-0183<br><a href=3D"http://www.heidikumao.net" target=3D"_bl=
ank">www.heidikumao.net</a><br>
</div>

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