ARTIST SUMMARY

An interdisciplinary artist, Mindy McGovern works in sound, music, sculpture, photography, and video. Her artwork explores the physical properties of sound. A multi-instrumentalist, writer, and crafter, she creates both autonomous and collaborative projects.

McGovern received her MFA in Visual Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2010 and her BA, a self-designed degree in art, music, and film from the College of Santa Fe in 2002. Her work has been shown internationally in galleries, video festivals, multimedia performances, and on the radio.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I make art about the influence of sound. Informed by the scientific to the esoteric, my work exposes the ways in which sound shapes our visual world. While formless in air, sound can create figures in materials such as water and sand. These figures resemble the metapatterns found throughout art and craft, architecture, biology, and cosmology. My visual vocabulary is comprised of these archetypal shapes and patterns while my sonic palette includes harmonic conventions, rhythmic patterns, and ambient sounds.

I use installation, video, sound, sculpture, and works on paper to explore the relationship between sound and form. The role of my hand in processes such as crochet, musicianship, and written scores is symbolic of the role of touch in the act of hearing. Past projects have involved photographing the physical movements of sound, sculpting these figures into clay, composing music structured after a geometric form, or exhibiting the tactile qualities of sound. Future projects involve video, a concept album, and printed matter.

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Ten years ago, I started photographing the patterns and forms that sound produces in liquid. These images and subsequent research begat the art practice I pursue today. My portfolio contains video, sculpture, installation, and sound compositions that explore the relationships between sound and form. The photographs that started this particular journey have remained trapped within the digital confines of my computer. Due to financial constraints, I have been waiting to print these images at their appropriate scale. Receiving the Spread grant would afford a professional printing service and materials for framing. Remaining funds would support new projects through new video equipment, software updates, and piano tuning.

MORE

You can view and listen to more of Mindy McGovern’s work here.