We are in the Wake is an installation of interwoven material that explores visible and invisible electromagnetic waves, or EM waves. We are in the Wake is presented as a work in progress. EM waves can be understood as part of a continuous series of energy frequencies, or gradient of frequencies, some of which humans can see, some of which they cannot see, hear or sense in any other way.
In this work in progress, I have marked visible frequencies of light using conventional architectural drawing such as plan and section cuts of the light on the surfaces of the studio and other objects. Invisible frequencies are those such as infrared, radio, wifi, domestic power that surround and move through us. These invisible frequencies must be translated in some form to allow humans to become aware of them in the environment. In previous work, I have captured invisible EM waves such as wireless or power frequencies in an antenna woven as fabric.
When completed, this new project is meant to call visitors’ attention to a system that connects us all through the internet, the radio and other devices that rely upon electromagnetic waves to function. These kinds of waves enable an invisible urbanism that floats in and around us. They present an invisible electromagnetic ocean where using many of these devices can be as perilous as crossing the Atlantic during the Middle Passage. This electromagnetic ocean is an invisible wake that we all live in.
This work is inspired by Christina Sharpe’s book The Wake: On Blackness and Being.
Felecia Davis, WOJR/Civitella Ranieri Architecture Prize Affiliated Fellow, USA (she/her)
Felecia Davis’ work in computational textiles questions how we live and she re-imagines how we might use textiles in our daily lives and in architecture. Davis is an Associate Professor at the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing in the School of Architecture at Pennsylvania State University and is the director of SOFTLAB@PSU. Davis’ work in architecture connects art, science, engineering, and design and was featured by PBS in the Women in Science Profiles series. Davis’ designs were part of the MoMA’s exhibition Reconstruction: Blackness and Architecture in America.
Thursday, July 13th, 2023
Refreshments will be served throughout the evening
Visits from 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Please select a time slot and RSVP here
Due to space limitations, only 15 people may view the installation at a time.
Please book your tickets for one of the four time slots proposed.
Please arrive on time to see the installation.