assimilation: mike lyon

Mike Lyon drove up from Kansas City today to deliver three prints for the exhibition entitled Assimilation that I am co curating with Nicole Jacquard. I was so pumped to meet Mike in person. We had a great time talking and I have a feeling that we are cut from the same fabric. I have been following Mike's work since I first became interested in CNC machining/routing. He uses a Shopbot CNC router to create the prints/drawings you see here. Some of these drawings take many weeks to draw as they are made up of a singular drawn line. They are insane in person! You just have to see them close up to truly appreciate the detail. I am just happy that Mike was willing to be in the show (and drive up to deliver) since we had no budget for shipping. I am so grateful for his work and his time.

I look forward to more work making it's way to the Kenilworth 3rd floor gallery as I install the show. It should be a cool exhibition!

assimilate |əˈsiməˌlāt| verb [ with obj. ] 1 take in (information, ideas, or culture) and understand fully 2 absorb and integrate (people, ideas, or culture) into a wider society or culture:

Assimilation is an exhibition that focuses on the idea of digital craft. For this exhibition, curators Frankie Flood and Nicole Jacquard compiled a group of artists whose work demonstrated an integrated use of digital techniques with that of traditional craft processes and fully assimilate the digital with traditional forms of making.

Displayed are works that were created by taking full advantage of all forms of computer technology including; Rapid Prototyping, Computer-Aided Design, 3D Scanning, laser cutting and engraving, and subtractive processes such as Computer Numerically Controlled routers and mills. The hand of the computer, however, should not necessarily be evident at first glance, and in some ways this exhibition is also the anti-digital exhibition as selected artists, designers, and craftspeople seek to fully absorb and understand how analog influences informs the digital to create work that might be categorized as digital craft.

Overall the work presented investigates the future of craft and the implications of merging traditional craft with digital processes and how these hybrid objects inform the age in which we live.

Frankie Flood & Nicole Jacquard