Alicia Eggert | This Moment Used To Be The Future

TL;DR

Conceptual artist Alicia Eggert explores the physicality and meaning of language through sculptures that incorporate words, light, and animation.

Transcript

welcome to the interval and long now I'm Alexander Rose the executive director here at long now and um I'm so happy to be doing this event tonight and as some of you may know we're also doing another event tomorrow where the actual piece uh that we took up the mountain will be at Gallery 308 and we'll be able to have 250 of you there if you want to... Read More

Key Insights

• ⌛ Alicia Eggert's artwork combines language and different materials to explore the concept of time and our relationship with it.
• 😒 The use of neon as a medium allows her to animate sculptures and create a specific rhythm that engages viewers and makes them aware of the passing of time.
• 🖐️ Site-specificity plays a crucial role in Alicia's artwork, as the environment and context impact the meaning and experience of the artwork.
• 🫵 Alicia's sculptures invite viewers to contemplate the present moment, prompting them to engage with the physicality of the artwork and consider alternative futures.
• 🌗 Through her artwork, Alicia challenges the notion of art lasting forever and embraces the fragility of materials and the temporality of human existence.
• 🥺 Alicia's collaborations with artisans and experts in different crafts enhance the artistic process and lead to more successful and meaningful projects.
• ⌛ The experience of bringing her artwork to Mount Washington and witnessing the simultaneous time scales of the sculpture and natural landscape was a profound and transformative moment.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Alicia incorporate the concept of time into her artwork?

Alicia explores the concept of time by using materials with different lifespans and creating animations in her sculptures. She also considers the temporal aspect of viewing art and how it shapes our perception of time.

Q: What inspired Alicia to use neon as a medium in her artwork?

Alicia is inspired by the quality of light emitted by electrified gases trapped in glass tubes. Neon allows her to animate her sculptures and create a specific rhythm that engages viewers and makes them aware of the passing of time.

Q: How does Alicia's artwork invite viewers to contemplate the present moment?

Through her sculptures, Alicia prompts viewers to physically experience the artwork and engage with the messages and meanings embedded within. By animating words and using materials with specific durations, she encourages a mindful and present perspective.

Q: What role does site-specificity play in Alicia's artwork?

Alicia believes that the site of an artwork impacts its meaning and that continuous changes in the environment, such as light and atmosphere, influence the perception of time. She creates installations in public spaces to provide viewers with a different and embodied experience of art in real-world settings.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Alicia Eggert is a conceptual artist who uses language as a material to create sculptures that explore the concept of time and our relationship with it.

• She combines words with different materials, such as neon, steel, and glass, to give them tangible forms and create layered meanings.

• Through her work, Alicia aims to engage viewers in a physical and embodied experience of art, inviting them to contemplate the present moment and imagine alternative futures.