PST Art Stories: Katie Grinnan and 'The Sensitives'

A presentation UCLA alum Katie Grinnan's work the first of a series of sonic art exhibitions under the PST Art project Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption created by the Art|Sci Center after several years of research and investigation into the world of eco-acoustic artmaking.

Curators Victoria Vesna, UCLA faculty in the Design Media Arts department, and Anuradha Vikram were eager to engage human bodies through vibration and exploratory learning as a means of achieving deeper empathy with the environment and with other species.

One of the most evocative representations of that goal is The Sensitives, an interactive piece by Grinnan which is on view through Nov. 2 at the CNSI Gallery on campus (alongside Talking to Plants from Amber Stucke).

Grinnan was inspired by the ways in which an octopus inhabits the world, its chameleon-like nature that allows them to hide from predators, literally change their RNA, the way their bodies and brains and sensory suckers extend gracefully and horizontally.

“I kind of think they are future beings, they have copper blood, we are iron based … they just seem more adaptable, and the way they experience their environment lends itself to thinking about this relationship to the things on our planet in a different way — more enfolded, more conscious of treating the things around us with respect,” she says, recalling moments spent scuba diving deep underwater (though she has yet to encounter an octopus).

Out of this feeling state Grinnan created two works from copper and sound electronics, which are mounted on different walls of the gallery. Copper “suckers” respond to human touch with sounds programmed by data derived from nucleotides, elements of octopus RNA. As humans encounter this work, they change the nature of the materials, the chemicals and oils from their skin giving new shades to the copper.

It’s interesting to see the way people interact with the work, Grinnan says, because there is a pause between the human touch and the material response, and then one segment of The Sensitives will respond to the other, de-centering the human experience, requiring patience to get the full effect.

“It’s counterintuitive to the way that we want to interact in some ways, but I think that it’s important to give The Sensitives agency,” she says. “And it’s meant to inspire viewers to rethink their own responses and expectations.”

Atmosphere of Sound runs through June with exhibitions, performances and programs taking place in multiple locations across campus, from a small gallery space in the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) to the preserved natural landscape of Sage Hill. A complimentary app offers artist-curated soundwalks and interviews with sonic artists.

By Jessica Wolf
Posted Oct. 21, 2024