Kenzie Housego and Bruce Watson | Pop Mechanics
to
Ruberto Ostberg Gallery 2108 18 St NW, Calgary, Alberta T2M 3T3

Kenzie Housego, “Flirt Bot,” no date; Bruce Watson, “piano,” no date
embroidery, LEDs, arduino, textiles, chatbot, 36” x 36” ; MDF, piano hammers, brass, 14" x 22" (courtesy of the Artists)
Opening Receptions: Friday, March 15: 5pm - 9pm + Saturday, March 16: 12pm - 2pm
Bruce Watson
I hope you like what you see in these sculptures. You might find them nothing more than mesmerizing or meditative; you might find their mechanisms intriguing; or you might detect a metaphor or two. I don’t begin a sculpture with a plan to express anything in particular. They all emerge from play: some stay playful; others touch on darker themes of malice, alienation, and emotional fractures. I think they represent me well: functionally broken and joyfully distressed.
Kenzie Housego
My latest series blends embroidery with digital technologies to explore how flirting and courtship have changed over time. I simultaneously investigate the social meanings of flowers, embroidery patterns, and emojis in text and sexts. My textile-based practice combines technological components to create interactive works that both sense and communicate with viewers. Some of the work in the exhibition will react when visitors come close to them, and others have phone numbers that you can text. The artwork highlights how romantic communication is coded, transmitted, interpreted, and misinterpreted via technology.
Don't miss the Lower Gallery:
Lower Gallery: What is in a moment by Kurtis Lesick