Groundless by Teréz Iacovino

Like two sides of a coin, our perception of nature and technology can easily flip back and fourth. Both encompass a complex set of systems, sharing structures, behaviors, and points of interconnectivity. Technology’s blue prints are founded on the natural world, while natural systems are consistently replicated and enhanced by technological advancements. Focusing on the intersection of nature and technology, Teréz Iacovino’s research-based practice draws from a variety of media and methods ranging from public interventions to ephemeral installation, from interactive print give-aways to sculptures that grow food.
Iacovino’s newest work, Groundless, is a living installation that examines human desires to understand, recreate, and control nature. Defined as destitute of foundation, authority or support, the word groundless may apply to anything without real cause or reason—essentially the irrational. Through the exploration of hydroponics, a “groundless,” literally dirt-less, method of growing, Iacovino explores this idea of irrationality in connection with our environment. Within the intimate setting of the Blue House Gallery, she transforms the space into a pseudo-laboratory that features altered IKEA furniture with mechanisms for transporting air, water, and nutrients to plants. Groundless combines a mix of DIY culture, systems aesthetics, and a taste for the irrational, as Iacovino investigates how to recreate dirt without dirt.

Teréz Iacovino is a visual artist and educator based in Minneapolis, MN. Her interdisciplinary works have been exhibited across the U.S., Berlin, and Florence, including a variety of traveling print portfolios and site-specific installations. She is co-founder of the collaborative trio, Crescent Collective and member of Form and Content Gallery in Minneapolis. Iacovino is the recipient of a Joy of Giving Something award through Imagining America and a Jerome Planning Grant in collaboration with Crescent Collective through Forecast Public Art. In the past, she has worked as a book preservationist, papermaker, gallery installation coordinator, and live-in studio intern. She is currently a lecturer and the Curatorial Assistant for the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota.

Exhibition ran September 6th-30th, 2015

www.tereztheroof.com
www.crescentcollective.com