Atmospheric Front
WASHINGTON -- Two Northern Virginia sisters have been have been creating art since they were young girls. But until this year, Hana and Shana Kim had never officially worked together.
Friday at the Flashpoint Gallery, they will unveil their first collaboration, "Atmospheric Front," an interactive mix of handcrafts and computer technology.
The Flashpoint show will also be the sisters' first in D.C. Earlier this week they chatted with The Huffington Post about sisterhood, hacking and the artistic muse that may or may not be Lisa Frank.
HuffPost: What do you like about living near D.C.?
Hana Kim: It has really been a privilege to grow up in the D.C. area with free, open access to the galleries and museums. This has been formative to our growth as artists and thinkers. HacDC, a local hackerspace, has also been a fantastic community and resource for us as artists. I think D.C. is unique in that we have such diversity of groups that are willing to cross-pollinate, share knowledge and skills to benefit the community.
HuffPost: What got you interested in art?
Shana Kim: Lisa Frank! Just kidding.
HuffPost: What or who inspires you the most?
Shana Kim: Lisa Frank! But for realsies this time.
HuffPost: Tell me a little about what inspired your Flashpoint installation.
Hana: Atmospheric Front is an immersive, kinetic installation composed of hand-knitted textiles, microcontrollers, (small computers on a single integrated circuit) and infrared sensors. Our project merges an interest we had in combining handcraft with technology. Within the gallery, a series of suspended textile canopies move in response to a sensor activated motor and pulley system. This experience is unique and personal to each viewer.
Shana Kim: This project was very much inspired by the wonderful late 50's collaborations between engineer Billy Klüver and artist Robert Rauchenburg. Today more than ever we are surrounded by the merging of art, tech and everyday … What excites me about this accessibility, to be so comfortable around art and tech, is that it will only make following generations more dexterous and adept at discovering possibilities that were unimaginable in previous years.
HuffPost: What else are you excited about for the future?
Shana Kim: I’d like for the future to have one of those see-through touch screens like in Spielberg’s "Minority Report." It excites me because I think the user interface will force me to have wonderfully toned arms.
HuffPost: Do you have new projects coming up?
Hana Kim: I'd like to take some time to reflect on what we learned from working on Atmospheric Front and begin a series of experiments with video and small, paper-based sculptures.
Shana Kim: I haven’t thought about starting new projects for a while. I’d really love to get back to working with digital video or hand drawn animation.
HuffPost: What's it like to work with your sister?
Hana Kim: Working with my sister has been really great. I really respect Shana as an artist and a thinker, in addition to her sense of humor, which is important when you're working multiple late nights knitting and coding! We were finally able to push these ideas beyond dinner table conversations into a real, physical venue and look forward to the conversations that will emerge as we have our work installed in a public space.
Shana Kim: Working with Hana has been awesome. I think the greatest part is that we think really differently from one another. I find that we often come to the same conclusions through different routes. It’s really cool to have someone who shares all the basic aesthetic principals yet tackles the process to achieve those principals so differently. I’ve learned a ton from working with her on this project.
Hana Kim and Shana Kim: Atmospheric Front at the Flashpoint Gallery will open July 20. For more information click here.