Exciting news: I’m on Rhizome!! (Artbase and Artist Profile)

So here’s a dream come true for my work, and I’m dedicating an entire blog post to this very cool news… My work is on Rhizome again!

Artist Profile: Nathalie Lawhead By Ryan Kuo
https://rhizome.org/editorial/2022/feb/01/artist-profile-nathalie-lawhead/

Everything is going to be OK Rhizome Artbase
https://artbase.rhizome.org/wiki/Q12199

“Everything is going to be OK” was recently included in the Rhizome Artbase. They put out a call for submissions for their executable poetry project. It seemed perfect. “Everything is going to be OK” very much fits that description because it features so much poetry.

Then Ryan Kuo asked if I wanted to collaborate on an Artist Profile with him. His work is brilliant and very much up my own alley too. You can check his stuff out here: https://rhizome.org/editorial/2017/nov/30/artist-profile-ryan-kuo/

Rizome’s editorial team is amazing and I learned a lot about my own use of English. For example, I use the word “very” and “really” way too much in my writing (this is my own observation btw, they were wonderful!)… I’m honored they took so much care in getting everything right. It was amazing to do this with them.

What I think is most exciting about being in the ArtBase for “Everything is going to be OK” is that a very very very very long time ago one of my first works was included in the ArtBase in 2001. I was 16 when I made this Flash animation. At the time it was pretty groundbreaking (it even got into OFFF Barcelona, probably at the first version of the festival). I’m afraid to click on it because it’s so old, but here’s the link: https://artbase.rhizome.org/wiki/Q3498
I was new to living in America and was coping a lot with war, so my work at the time featured themes of refugees, war, poverty, and genocide. I diguised it as “commentary on American school” because I didn’t think Americans would understand. I was new to making digital art too.
It was phenomenal to 16 year old me that a place like Rhizome included it. I can barely remember the circumstances surrounding it but I think my mom submited it. Rhizome’s Artbase was kinda new too (started in 1999), so 2001 was still pretty fresh.
All that said, I have been following them since, being inspired by what they do, curate, talk about… It’s an honor to have been included again.

I guess this is a short update. You should definitely read the Artist Profile! https://rhizome.org/editorial/2022/feb/01/artist-profile-nathalie-lawhead/ I’m over the moon about it!!

In case you missed it… I’ve been working on bringing back BlueSuburbia. This will be built in Unreal, and all the environments will be 3D.
I wrote about it here.
It’s coming together beautifully. I’m still in disbelief at how easy of an environment Unreal is (seems to be).

Ok. That’s all. You can stop reading now.
Beyond this point I’m just ejecting thoughts into the digital void because I want to talk about some things…

Edit: Deleted this part. Will write something better in another devlog when I have more to show from the project.