Kathy High Exhibit

FMT Video with Projected Images Behind it

On May 6^th I attended Kathy High’s exhibit Waste Matters at CNIS on UCLA’s campus. Although I had trouble finding it, I was pleased to arrive and see I had the exhibit to myself and could explore freely. 

I began by watching the short video about fecal microbial transplant and gut biomes. At first I was taken aback by this video because I had not actually looked at what the exhibit was exploring. I quickly noticed the glass jars of feces behind me and everything was put in perspective. The video itself was informative on c dif bacteria and microbial therapy, but at some points the edits on the video felt very sarcastic. Sometimes when a scientist would be detailing a procedure, cartoon animated grass would begin to grow out of the lower half of the screen, nearly eclipsing the scientist’s face. Often silly names were assigned to serious procedures and I didn't quite understand the projected images of a toy robot that pooped out colored balls behind the television.

Digital Imaging of Internal and External Biomes

After the video concluded I spent some time looking at the digital pictures of The Re-mediator Series in collaboration with Oliver Kellhammer. I understood the intention of the piece; imaging the microbial process from the internal to the external environment, but I didn’t like them much. Each image seemed as though its pieces were placed together rather than well integrated, which seemed odd to me seeing as the exhibit was about integration and interspecies love.

Glass Jars of Feces with David Bowie Imitation Photography in the Background

The glass jars full of feces preserved in honey were striking because of the shape of the container and the shadows cast on the stands but I thought placing human feces in an art exhibit so plainly was a bit crude and taking the theme of the exhibit too literally.

Me with Kathy High Posing as David Bowie

After reading Kathy High’s letter to David Bowie I liked the general idea of the exhibit better. Her attempt to catch his attention was admirable and I liked that her own Crohn’s disease was motivation for her art. Overall I don't think I enjoyed the exhibit as much as I expected to. Typically I like art that uses many different mediums but much of the exhibit felt disjoint to me with the sculpture, photography, digital imaging, video, and projection. Although I wasn't crazy about the exhibit, It was nice to explore art that was so integrated in the artist’s life.