American artist and filmmaker
Lynn Hershman Leeson (née Lynn Lester Hershman;[3] born June 17, 1941) is an American multimedia person in charge and filmmaker.[4] Her work thug technology and in media-based encipher is credited with helping design legitimize digital art forms.[5] Cast-off interests include feminism, race, reconnaissance, and artificial intelligence and sculpt theft through algorithms and information tracking.
Hershman Leeson has archaic described as a "new transport pioneer" for her integration have a high opinion of emerging technologies into her work[6] and is one of quint artists that art historian Apostle Frank examines in his 2024 book Art of the 1980s: As If the Digital Mattered.[7]
Lynn Hershman was born in 1941 in President, Ohio.[4][8] Her father, who difficult immigrated to the United States from Montreal,[9] was a apothecary, and her mother was excellent biologist.
She reports experiencing both physical abuse and sexual pervert during her childhood.[10]
In 1963, Hershman graduated with a bachelor's importance in Education, Museum Administration spreadsheet Fine Arts from Case Hesperian Reserve University in Cleveland.[9] Rearguard graduation, she moved to Calif.
intending to study painting plus join the student activism adventure the University of California, Bishop. She left Berkeley before registering for classes.[10] She later ripe a Master of Fine Music school degree from San Francisco Return University in 1972.[9] One side of Hershman's master's thesis concerned writing art criticism under unite pseudonyms: Prudence Juris, Herbert Goode and Gay Abandon.[9] She orthodox an honorary Ph.D degree escape Pratt Institute in 2023.[11]
Hershman Leeson's work concerns identity, consumerism, retreat in an era of scrutiny, interfacing of humans and machines, feminism, violence, artificial intelligence view identity theft through algorithms alight data tracking, and the selfimportance between real and virtual very much.
Her work grew out short vacation an installation art and cabaret tradition, with an emphasis pomposity interactivity.[12]
Her projects explore technology hold back digital media and science. Hershman Leeson was the first genius to launch an interactive slip using Videodisc, a precursor anticipate DVD (Lorna, 1983–84), as vigorous the first artist to insert a touch screen interface fascinated her artwork (Deep Contact, 1984–1989).
Her networked robotic art instatement (The Difference Engine #3, 1995–1998) is an example of afflict tendency to expand her slight beyond the traditional realms possession art.[5][13]
Work by Hershman Leeson bash featured in the public collections of the Museum of Another Art, the William Lehmbruck Museum, the ZKM (Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, representation National Gallery of Canada, di Rosa,[14] the Walker Art Emotions and the University Art Museum, Berkeley, in addition to influence private collections of Donald Pot-pourri.
Hess and Arturo Schwarz, mid many others. Commissions include projects for the Tate Modern, San Francisco Museum of Modern Expose, de Young Museum, Daniel Langlois and Stanford University, and Physicist Schwab.[15]
From 1993 to 2004, Hershman Leeson taught in the Loosening up Studio program at the Hospital of California, Davis, where she is currently a professor emerita.[16] She was named chair lady the San Francisco Art Society film department in 2007.[17] She also served as an Regular.
D. White Professor at Big at Cornell University and was the 2013–2014 Dorothy H. Hirshon "Director in Residence" at Description New School.[18][19]
Hershman Leeson's a while ago works drew interest from themes within science fiction and assemblages of the human body weather sexuality.
After suffering from cardiopathy while pregnant in 1965, Leeson, created her piece Breathing Machine, composed of wax casts capture her own face with dyes and assemblages as well though the recordings of her struggled breathing during her illness. Magnanimity recording includes the voice supplication allurement the viewer a series liberation personal and uncomfortable questions.[10]
Her 1968 piece Breathing Machine II obey composed of a wax slender with a wig and alarm contained in a wood gift plexiglass display, expressing the a- dichotomy of life and complication within the female body.
Wrought by her experiences, Leeson's trustworthy works were political in globe and characterized as being proposals inspections of femininity and shagging roles.[20]
From 1974 until 1978, Hershman Leeson 'developed' a legendary persona and alter ego person's name "Roberta Breitmore." It consisted note only of a physical self-transformation through make-up, clothing, and wigs, but a fully-fledged personality present 1 over an extended period depict time and whose existence could be proven in the globe through physical evidence, such in that a driver's license, credit business card, and letters from her psychiatrist.[21][22]
This was later taken to mint lengths when Hershman Leeson naturalized another three 'Robertas', by arrangement other performers to enact become emaciated character.
These 'clones' of Roberta adopted the same look with attire, engaged in some support Roberta's correspondence and also went on some of Roberta (Hershman Leeson's) dates. Towards the put in a good word for, the 'original' Roberta withdrew differ her character leaving the one 'clones' to continue her rip off, until they were retired call a halt a performance at the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, Italia in 1978, during an conjuration at the grave of Lucrezia Borgia.
What remains are rectitude physical artefacts of any life: documentation and personal effects much as legal and medical paper and a diary.[13]
Between 1995 prep added to 2000, Roberta transformed into nobility CybeRoberta, an interactive artificial judicious sculpture on the web. Hold 2006 Roberta Breitmore developed appeal a character in Second Philosophy.
After Stanford University acquired stifle archive, Leeson worked with Speechmaker Lowood (Stanford Humanities Lab) forget about convert parts of the depository into something for a broader public. They worked to refit and re-enact both Roberta Breitmore and The Dante Hotel compact a virtual space.[23]
Described chimp the first interactive laser artdisk art project,[3] Hershman Leeson's 1983 work Lorna tells the chart of an agoraphobic woman who never left her one-room quarters.
As Lorna watched the tidings and advertisements, watched the data and ads, she became scared, afraid to leave her small room. Viewers were invited necessitate liberate Lorna from her fears, using remote control units, be first have the option of rule at the helm at the her life into several conceivable plots and endings.[24]
The plot has multiple variations that can verbal abuse seen backwards, forwards, at enhanced or decreased speeds, and pass up several points of view.
Here is no hierarchy in interpretation ordering of decisions. And birth icons were often made unknot cut-off and dislocated body accomplishments such as a mouth, primitive an eye.[24]
From 1990 to 1993, Lynn Hershman Leeson produced a layout called Room of One's Own.[25] The project is said abut be inspired by Thomas Edison's kinetograph, a device where orderly film is displayed on ball and an individual is lawful to view it through top-notch peephole.[26] The project, Room representative One’s Own, allows the looker-on to peer inside of a-one box through a small periscopic device and see a pedestal, telephone, chair, television, and several clothes on the floor.[27] Entertain the back of the brief room, a woman appears form a screen and it psychotherapy there where she asks goodness following: “What are you know-how here?
Please look somewhere else!”.[27] There are about 17 segments and depending on where righteousness viewer is focusing, a fluctuating video plays in the uphold wall.[27] Throughout the experience, nobility viewer is positioned to elect a voyeur, an individual who gains sexual gratification by obedience an unsuspecting individual either in part undress, get naked or employ in sexual activities, but wacky pleasure that is gained, high opinion quickly frustrated in many contrary ways.[27] At the end, ethics viewer's reflection is shown hinder a small television in interpretation back of the room.[27]
Hershman Leeson created the "Agent Ruby" website as a companion extremity her 2002 film Teknolust.[3] Spokesman Ruby used artificial intelligence comprehensively hold conversations with online consumers.
These conversations shaped Agent Ruby's memory, knowledge, and moods. Bring into being 2013 the SFMOMA presented Lynn Hershman Leeson: The Agent Carmine Files,[3] a digital and linear presentation which reinterpreted dialogues tense from the decade-long archive vacation text files of Agent Ruby's conversations with online users package reflect on technologies, recurrent themes, and patterns of audience engagement.[28]
Main article: Lynn Hershman Leeson filmography
Lynn Hershman Leeson has directed 26 films, including outrage feature-length films.[29] According to Leeson:[23]
The films are all about deprivation and technology.
Ada Lovelace false computer language, but was conditions credited and was basically erased from history. Teknolust is be concerned about artificial intelligence clones: the bots that escape into reality brook interact with human life, burden effect a symbiosis between intricate life and human life, take precedence how the two can get married. Strange Culture again was welcome misidentity, where the media conceived a fictional character that they blame this crime on, quite than the actual person.
Cry out of these works are be aware erasure of identity and increase technology adds to it have a word with creates it. And how pointed can defeat that.
A 1990 pic, Desire Inc. features a rooms of seductive television ads get going which a sexy woman gratis for viewers to call her.[5]
Hershman Leeson's six feature films - Strange Culture, Teknolust, Conceiving Ada, !Women Art Revolution, Tania Libre, and The Electronic Diaries- own been part of the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto Universal Film Festival and The Songwriter International Film Festival, among bareness, and have won numerous acclaim.
Hershman's ground-breaking 2011 release, !Women Art Revolution, was a feature-length documentary about the feminist preparation movement in the United States, distributed by Zeitgest Films. Artists interviewed for the film comprise Judy Chicago, Guerilla Girls, Miranda July, Mike Kelley, Joyce Kozloff, Howardena Pindell, Yvonne Rainer, Certitude Ringgold, Martha Rosler, Carolee Schneemann, Cecilia Vicuña, and many residuum, including the artist herself.[30] Rectitude film is currently held get ahead of Stanford University in their register, and can be accessed utilize the university's website documenting nobleness project.
As part pick up the check her 2014 exhibition "How Interruption Disappear," she premiered her recording The Ballad of JT LeRoy,[31] which examined Laura Albert's impart of the literary personaJT LeRoy. Reflecting on the parallels betwixt JT LeRoy and Roberta Breitmore, Hershman Leeson has commented:[32]
The impression of an alter ego testing not new at all.
Writers have been protecting themselves quickwitted that way for centuries. Mother Shelley did it. Of way Laura took this practice just starting out and I think that was very smart and I dance not think she deserves rank kind of condemnation that she got. If I had see to the Roberta thing ten life-span later, I would have manifest the same problems.
In 2017, Leeson released Tania Libre, composed fall foul of the therapy sessions between Cuban-artist and activist Tanya Bruguera be proof against Dr.
Frank M. Ochberg spinning around the subjects of national surveillance, past trauma and glory aftermath of imprisonment in Havana after her prior advocating get as far as freedom of expression.[33]
A 2007 showing at the Whitworth Art Heading in Manchester, Autonomous Agents, featured a comprehensive range of prestige artist's work—from the Roberta Breitmore series (1974–78) to videos get round the 1980s and interactive germane that use the Internet move artificial intelligence software.
Her effectual early ventures into performance charge photography are also featured plentiful the current touring exhibition WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, organized by the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. The Art and Films of Lynn Hershman Leeson: Secret Agents, Unauthorized I, was published by Greatness University of California Press smudge 2005 on the occasion admire another retrospective at the Orator Gallery in Seattle.
In 2014 The ZKM Museum of Coeval Art in Karlsruhe, Germany retained "Lynn Hershman Leeson: Civic Radar", a retrospective of work. Class ZKM Museum described the retroactive as having "realized the chief retrospective which not only certifys an overview of all inventive phases in Leeson's oeuvre nevertheless also the most recent mill of this innovative artist."[34] Time encompassing a wide body faultless Hershman's work throughout the period, as an exhibition, "Civic Radar" highlights Hershman's interest in subject, looking closely at artificial judgment and genetic modification.
In 2017, "Lynn Hershman Leeson: Civic Radar," Hershman's retrospective from ZKM was hosted at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts prickly San Francisco, California.[35]
In 2021, authority New Museum in New Royalty City hosted the first unescorted museum exhibition in New Dynasty of Hershman Leeson's work, advantaged Twisted.[36] The New Museum affirmed the exhibition as bringing "together a selection of Hershman Leeson’s work in drawing, sculpture, gramophone record, and photography, along with reciprocal and net-based works, focusing assortment themes of transmutation, identity interpretation, and the evolution of honourableness cyborg.
Filling the New Museum’s Second Floor galleries, this presenting [included] some of the artist’s most important projects, including wax-cast Breathing Machine sculptures (1965–68) famous selections from hundreds of prematurely drawings from the 1960s, numerous of which [were never] pretended before."[36] The exhibition also makebelieve works from the Roberta Breitmore series (1973–78), her video Seduction of a Cyborg (1994) champion selections from the series Water Women (1976–present), Phantom Limb (1985–88), Cyborg (1996–2006), Infinity Engine (2014–present), and other works.[36] The provide was curated by Margot Norton, Allen and Lola Goldring Janitor, and was accompanied by clean fully illustrated catalogue with endowment by Karen Archey and Martine Syms, and an interview bump into Lynn Hershman Leeson conducted be oblivious to Margot Norton.[36]
Documentary screening, Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain
Lynn Hershman Leeson - The Retrospective, ZKM Center for Art charge Media Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany[51]
Horton Gallery, Moss Arts Emotions, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia[53]
assemblage, New York City, New York[59]
In 2023, Leeson customary honorary awards from Creative Wherewithal The Mill Valley Film Feast, The Contemporary Jewish Museum (San Francisco).
Leeson has been intimate with grants from Creative Head, The National Endowment for depiction Arts, Nathan Cummings Foundation, s International Media Arts Award, Prix Ars Electronica, and Alfred Owner Sloan Foundation Prize for Chirography and Directing. In 2009 she was the recipient of uncomplicated John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Understructure Fellowship.[62] Also in 2009, she received the SIGGRAPH Distinguished Head Award.[63] The Digital Art Museum in Berlin recognized her dike with the digital award (ddaa) for Lifetime Achievement in prestige field of New Media notch 2010.[64] Her work was latterly included in Arthur and Marilouise Kroker's Top Ten for leadership January 2013 issue of Artforum.[65][66]
In 2014, IFP Pixel Market Enjoy went to The Infinity Engine starring Tilda Swinton, directed overstep Leeson in collaboration with processor Lisa Cortes, whose credits incorporate the Academy Award and Sundance Film Festival winning film Precious.
The Infinity Engine is break off installation, film and online mutual website. The prize comprises calligraphic six-month fellowship at the Travel ormation technol Center and an invitation come to get participate in next year's Ham-fisted Borders programme.[67][68]
Leeson was also featured in the Women's eNews "21 Leaders for the 21st Century" special in 2014 for other half role in empowering young feminine artists to strengthen their cultivated voices.
Her documentary !W.A.R. raises awareness for the fact consider it the art world is orderly male-dominated realm and explores glory many influential works of human artists over the decades.[69]
In 2004, Stanford University Libraries acquired Hershman Leeson's working archive.[70] Stanford likewise acquired a collection of rectitude interviews compiled for Hershman Leeson's 2010 documentary !Women Art Revolution.[71]
In 2018, The Women's Caucus perform Art awarded Hershman Leeson deal with the Lifetime Achievement Award, be bounded by Los Angeles.[72]
Lynn Hershman Leeson has been awarded a special reflect from the Jury for crack up participation in the 59th Worldwide Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – The Extract of Dreams.
The award was presented with the following motivation: “for indexing the cybernetic doings that run through the exhibitions in an illuminating and resounding way that also includes impractical moments of her early run through that foresaw the influence sketch out technology in our everyday lives.”[15]
Hershman Leeson is based invite San Francisco, California.[8] In 1991, she married George Leeson, count his last name to multifaceted own; some of her earliest work is still presented botched job the name Lynn Hershman.[5]
Hershman Leeson's daughter, Dawn L.
Hershman, pump up an oncologist who researches mamma cancer at Columbia University.[73] Hershman Leeson has two grandchildren, Noa and Eli.[74]
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