ARTIST STATEMENT
Bamboo Showers, Sondra N. Arkin, bamboo, wire, hardware cloth, wood, stain, 2019
Artomatic 2024, 2100 M Street NW, March 8 - April 28, 2024 - space 844
The arts and humanities are not treated the same as science, technology, engineering and math, or the STEM disciplines. They do not receive the same emphasis in our schools, nor do they receive comparable funding.
In 2019, in order to explore what a meaningful STEAM project could be, a professional artist (Sondra N. Arkin) and an engineering professor (Mark Archibald) collaborated on an art installation that required contributions from both engineering and art. This exploratory, experiential approach provided both the means and the context for investigating the intersections of art and engineering during a sabbatical period that Spring. The culminating exhibition, “Spend Time with Trees” occurred in Washington DC during the summer of 2019. Attention was paid to the process of design, development, and creation, with an emphasis on learning the practices of the other profession.
The theme of trees and forests emerged as an area of common interest and passion for both collaborators. As the specifics began to come into focus, several criteria emerged for assessing a valid project. The project would be:
1. Consistent with the ethical worldview of both Arkin and Archibald
2. Truly collaborative – each brings something important to the project
3. Meaningful in some sense, perhaps spiritual
4. Beneficent – bringing some good to the world
5. Multi-sensory
6. Accessible (wheelchairs, etc.)
The last item – accessibility – was deemed important for both. The gallery that hosted the exhibit, Art Enables, is owned by a non-profit that provides resources for people with disabilities to work as professional artists.
These Bamboo Showers are one element from that collaboration. Contact the artist for information on acquiring a Bamboo Shower. They are affordable and looking for a new home!