Amy M. Youngs



Biography_____________________________________________________________________________

Amy M. Youngs works on biological art, interactive sculptures and digital media works that explores complex relationships between technology and the changing concepts of nature and self. Her research interests are on the interactions with plants and animals, technological nature follies constructed ecosystems and visuals through the eyes of machineries.

Youngs works has been exhibited nationally and internationally and published articles in Leonardo and Nouvel Objet and her work was profiled in the book

Art in Action, Nature, Creativity & our Collective Future. Besides, she has also lectured widely and also recieved her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999 and is currently an Associate Professor of Art at the Ohio State University.

Artwork______________________________________________________________

'''Why look on animals? '''

(9’ x 5’ x 3.5’) – Looping video projection (14 minute duration), acrylic fur, fabric, mirror, wire and wood .This video installation was inspired an essay by John Berger, “why look at animals?”, where he considers human-animal relation changes since the 19th century. Amy Youngs considered a new tradition of mediation where perhaps we watch animals because they provide a spectacle for us, or because they matter to us and we want to know about their lives.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"">River Construct 

<p style="margin-bottom:16.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"">River Construct, is an indoor composting and plant growing unit that attempts to reproduce a natural system. It is based on the model of a river, which is alternately fed and cleansed by a variety of organisms along its path. This artwork showcases the natural flow of natures organic wastes. It has a timing cycle that turns on the flow every 45 minutes.

<p style="margin-bottom:16.0pt">'''<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Alchemical Bloom '''

<p style="margin-bottom:16.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Alchemical Bloom is a system of artificial growth using information gathered from a natural source. A new copper sculpture "grows" every week; the size and texture of which is affected by the weather. Using information from an outdoor digital thermometer, a controller varies the amount of power supplied to the electroforming tank where the copper sculpture grows. The colder the temperature is, the higher the voltage is in the tank, which causes a faster, grainier growth. A warmer temperature lowers the voltage, resulting in a smaller object with a smoother texture. The completed sculpture is removed from the tank each Wednesday evening and hung on a wire in chronological order of production. The bloom quickly develops a patina, while the excess copper sulfate drips onto an aluminum canvas underneath, creating crystalline designs. Process, product and byproduct all become "the art" in this transmutation of weather, electricity and chemistry.

<p style="margin-bottom:16.0pt"><u style="text-underline:thick"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"">References <u style="text-underline:thick"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria Bold","serif"">____________________________________________________________________________  

<p style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:42.0pt;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:6.0pt"><u style="text-underline:#749700"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#749700"><span style="font-family:"Cambria","serif"; color:black">http://hypernatural.com/

<p style="margin-bottom:16.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:#878787"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif";color:black">http://uas.osu.edu/node/4617 <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Cambria","serif""> (artist statement)