Writing with Machines, Books as Art, and more Books
Johanna Poethig “Songs for Women Living With War / Bahay ni Lola” (2016), wood, canvas, capiz, ceramic, photo, sound, 126 x 119 x 101 in. (Photo: Dorothy R. Santos)
Hello there,
It's been such a long time since I've written you a tiny letter (and I know, they're not so tiny). Per usual, I stay busy. My mind has been marinating on projects left and right. Like many people, I can't believe it's November. So much has happened and I've been trying to keep up with my writing practice and stepping into the creative mode thanks to a few collaborators encouraging me to write in ways I haven't written before. While I may not be producing viral content (that was never my goal and actually should not be a goal for anyone - trust me, likes and hearts are not going to make things better in your life), I'm much more content with where my work is going. Ah, maturity. I'd like to think I'm aging (intellectually, emotionally, and physically) as gracefully as possible. I'm trying. But seriously, you have to be authentic about your passions. I'm going to sound self-helpy, but you can't do what you think people will read, watch, and/or care about. YOU, above everything, need to care about what YOU are producing and putting out in the world. In any case, feel free to drop me a line and say hello.
Much love,
Dorothy
What I'm Reading, Referencing, and Watching...
Writing I've done...
Playing with the Written Word: A Review of ABRA: A Living Text, review in Weird Sister
Artists Help Break the Silence Around the Abuse of Women in War, review in Hyperallergic
Talking art and tech in Bay Area Living Rooms, essay in Rhizome
In TLDR, Artists Explore the Changing Nature of Language in a Digital World, review in East Bay Express
Materiality to Machines, essay published in the anthology The Routledge Companion to Biology in Art and Architecture, contributor
Gentle reminders...
Please check out The Selfie Drawings book by Carla Gannis and consider purchasing the eBook ~ I'm thrilled to report that Carla is a Founder's Award Winner and a Lumen Prize recipient. It's such an honor and I'm incredibly humbled that I had the opportunity to write and research her work. Carla has been deeply influential in my understanding and research in digital art and new media. If you have not checked out her work, please do so (now).
Latest Art Crush...
Surabhi Saraf, I worked on her performance Command Shifts for Soundwave 7 and the piece is phenomenal. Although your laptop or mobile device doesn't do the piece justice, it's still worth a look and a listen.
Where I'm Going...
November 3-4, 2016 - Books in Browsers 2016, speaker (Gray Area, San Francisco, CA)
November 3-5, 2016 - Art, Social Space, and Public Discourse Symposium at Stanford University organized by the incomparable Ala Ebtekar - I will be attending the opening night at the Asian Art Museum, you should go as well. Get tickets here.
November - December 2016 - Co-curating the final show for 2016 for the 20th anniversary of Cheryl Dunye's film The Watermelon Woman (Center for Sex and Culture, San Francisco, CA)
Conversations and Things I've Learned from Brilliant People...
I am currently collaborating with the wonderful artist and scholar, Elia Vargas - Working with Elia has been one of the most incredible (albeit challenging) writing experiences I've had and that's in large part due to the having my mind vacillate between theory and practice. Writing is hard. I do it every day and it's only because I need to get all the junk. I've said this time and time again, I'm a prolific producer of shit, but in the 1,000,000 things I write, there are 1-2 gems, which makes the process worth it. He is also one of the co-founders of Living Room Light Exchange.
Another artist I admire and respect immensely is Heather Dewey-Hagborg - I have been in conversation with her since the summer and she is an absolute goddess-sent individual. For those that don't know my day gig, I've been working in the biotech/pharma industry for 12 years now and my unique set of skills has connected me to Heather. So so stoked to work with her on some really great things (forthcoming). Please check out her latest interview with ArtSlant here. Excellent stuff.
Thought/Writing Prompt for You...
Happy to report that I have been selected as a YBCA fellow for 2016-2017 and will spend the next year exploring the topic of citizenship. I'm thrilled and I was already writing about my parents journeys to American citizenship (after immigrating from the Philippines). I will be sharing this work (contemplating the format, but I will share it and would love feedback). So, questions for you...What does citizenship mean to you? What does it mean to belong to a specific identity (related to country of origin, your ethnicity, city, state, etc.)?