Chelsea Thompto Artist Talk- CSUS

 Chelsea Thompto is a transdisciplinary Artist works at San Jose State University; she's an assistant professor of digital media art in the art department and art history. She also serves on the board of the new media caucus and the editorial board of media.

Chelsea began by acknowledging the land from which she is speaking from, an honorable thing to do, which I have never experienced a speaker do. She recognized the land provided by Muwekma Ohlone Peoples who were the original inhabitants of the land in San-Jose.

I found her under graduate sculpture enlightening, because it is obviously inspired by Lygia Clark. This is where she talks about trans identity and modularity had affected her own journey and work. Identifying the intersection of her art as trans identity, and technology. I really think being a research artist as well as a lived example of the subject of focus adds innumerable depth to the work and consideration of impact that is vital to our experience of artwork.

"Research Based Transdisciplinary Artist"

Trans is a gesture, in the studio

Trans is a form, capture in finished work

Trans is an Identity, in her person

Trans is a methodology, in her practices

I found it very cool to hear that she has used lasers and printer in her process because in the last year that has been a big a new skill i have learned myself. I hope to imbue the skill of digital interpretation on to physical object through the use of a laser cutter, into my own work.

"We are living in a time of trans visibility, and also a time of violence against trans people."

She said she is interested when thinking of visibility, she considers how the state views her identity. Examples like ID cards, classifications, and names; things the government uses to categorize and identify us and our bodies.

It seems that she feels that how do we categorize, process, and essentially end up reducing our identity to fit these category's. The first example, is a document that highlights how to amend a birth certificate. The moment we are born we produce paperwork; so we can be understood and traced, labeled. 

The first question; "why does the state of Iowa feel all these steps are required to change our documentation or categorization? and why does my want to change my categorization pose a threat to this system, and my inability to not fit these category's?"

Something I have been thinking about in reflection of an upcoming show, is about flux. Chelsea Thompto conversation about "A to B" and transcode empowering and recognizing "to" as "Movement, possibility, and rupture" was a powerful definition of things that transition. Flux to me is a state of transition, and this converstation helped me refelct on themes in my own work.

Transcode is a rigorous frame work for the other three bodies of work: Transmaterial Body, Productive Bodies, and Landmark

Transmaterial Body-

In essence using a WIFI network, a localized one it blur the lines between what we know a the physical biological Chelsea thompto, and the network extension of Chelsea thompto using biological monitor's on her body, people who were given a login password to this network could see a live output of her heart beat and surrounding temperature. This project was meant to blur our understand of personhood, and the limits of our physical presence and the suggestion that technology can alter our perimeters for defining our absolute person.

Productive Bodies-

Further exploring the expansion of the body, and technologies influences and violence towards trans-ness using landscape, and maps and experiences.

"non-liner storytelling as a mode of resistance"

Through this idea she developed a mechanism that allows one to simulate binding a book, around a  center point in 360 degrees and in full rotation, effectively dismantling any ones ability to cypher a liner plot or story from the mechanism. This came from an idea of turning the linear storytelling process into this non-liner center point. Then one may attach these "nodes" to other pages and accumulate module of the story to expand or contract the story, and information.

Landmark-

Bodies as land. How bodies can be used and disposed of, how we treat the physical presence. This interlocks with maps, and how maps not only render land but also render plans from the makers and owners. Maps carry "desires and goals" in informational data. This work focuses on artificial intelligence and facial recognition, fails to comprehend trans bodies. How does technology see us?

My take away from these three bodies of work, is that the way categorization can and will affect us in the future is inevitable; not only for trans people but our future interactions with all technology. If these technologies  can negative impact any one who is subject to being mis-categorized, then the oversight in their operation and their widespread impact is a well deserved topic, for conversation, legislation, and art.