Kevin Schmidt: We Are the Robots

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Kevin Schmidt, "DIY HIFI," 2014–16

wood, Lowther DX55 speakers, DIY kit tube amplifier, cables, hardwareCourtesy of the Artist and Catriona Jeffries, Vancouver

British Columbia–based artist Kevin Schmidt draws upon aspects of conceptual and performance art while embodying the do-it-yourself (DIY) sensibilities of an amateur inventor. 

Kevin Schmidt: We Are the Robots takes its focus from his work DIY Hifi (2014), which the Vancouver Art Gallery is proud to present for the first time in North America. In it, Schmidt presents an audiophile listening room featuring gigantic stereo speakers, a kit tube amp and furniture built by Schmidt using plans posted by online audiophiles and published in DIY manuals. Visitors can bring in their own vinyl and listen to it in the Gallery. We Are the Robots also includes new sculpture and video works in which Schmidt presents other DIY experiments, such as the reconfiguration of a home appliance to generate power in the wilderness and the attention-getting potential of LED light strips placed on the Gallery's exterior.