Kathleen McDermott combines craft and sculpture techniques with open-source electronic experiments to build video-based narratives of a strange future. She takes a critical perspective on emerging and wearable technologies by creating electronics that are counterproductive, humorous, and uncontrollable. A recurring theme in her work has been the relationship between technology, the body, and personal and public space.
While at MAD, McDermott will explore the relationship between robots and protest. Popular conceptions of robots produce visions of metallic objects that are use-oriented, calculating, and driven by logic; but what about robots that appear to be expressive, useless, or illogical, or robots that fail to perform their intended functions? This investigation might relate to larger cultural attitudes toward work and productivity.
McDermott is pursuing a PhD in Electronic Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has an MFA in Creative Media from City University of Hong Kong and a BFA from Cornell University. Her work has been exhibited internationally. For more information, please visit: kthartic.com.
