Artist’s Statement

With a background in Design and Craft I arrived at a North American conceptual Art school in 2001. I was encouraged to consider the materials beyond their functional properties. I think that this was a broadening of my horizon, which did my practice a great deal of good and helped me in formulating my intentions.

The main topics my work is informed by are: The Social – Politics – and Technology. Being in the textile research environment the latter is especially important to me. Today we are creating ‘intelligent’ textiles and ‘smart’ materials. This is a fascinating but also engaging field. In developing these new materials I see the tendency of new-media-artwork being led by the technically possible. But are we still in control or is technology controlling us? Is the technically possible also the thing we should aim for? Are we handing over our intelligence to the material? What is the benefit for society and the individual in pursuing these developments? As an Innovator the consideration and knowledge of tradition are essential to my work. I am watching our society changing from humanistic to the post-human.

In my work “light content” it is important to me that the illuminations, which are needed, are controlled by people rather than by sensors. I enjoy that while using digital weaving, I arrive at a tangible low tech object, and in giving the viewer control over their personal lighting of the show, I arrive at an interactive installation with no electronic sensors but human ones. I am at ease considering this work new media work.

In the piece “the unique art object club©” I did a “social scan”, asking 35 people from my social surrounding to give me one of their woollen sweaters, then tie dyeing it and giving it back to them after the show. Everybody got a Christine Keller Art Piece to take home with them. That project is an example for my interest in meeting and paying attention to the individual in our society.

now in 2010 I am inspired by the discussion with my students at the Otago Polytechnic School of Art. Every year I am curious for their new works to come to completion. I am glad to see how many different results come out of our department.