Nathalie Miebach at Schick Art Gallery
Press Release
Nathalie Miebach, Sculpture, Schick Art Gallery Exhibition, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø
Saisselin Art Building, 2nd Floor, 815 North Broadway Saratoga Springs, New York
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Schick Art Gallery opens an exciting exhibition of new sculptures
by Nathalie Miebach with a reception on Tuesday, July 7. The exhibition runs through
October 4. Miebach will visit the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø campus for a slide lecture on September
22 at 6 pm in Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. The public is welcome. Note: This
is a date change from the originally scheduled lecture, due to the Yom Kippur holiday
on September 28. We regret any inconvenience.
Nathalie Miebach's work focuses on the intersection of art and science and the visual
articulation of scientific observations or theories. Using methodologies and processes
of both disciplines, she translates scientific data related to physics, astronomy
or natural phenomena into three-dimensional structures. Miebach typically uses basket
weaving to transform her data into brightly colored and intricate three-dimensional
sculptures.
Nathalie Miebach collects data on climatic change -- from the growing ozone hole,
the ebb and flow of tidal waters, to the weather's patterns. Using the basket's weave
as her grid, she assigns meaning to her materials; one reed may represent an hour
in time or a longitudinal degree. Ultimately, she creates fanciful, intricate, and
brightly colored woven sculptures, which serve as vessels for her data. In the artist's
words: "Central to this work is my desire to explore the role visual aesthetics play
in the translation and understanding of scientific information. By utilizing artistic
processes and everyday materials, I am questioning and expanding the traditional boundaries
through which scientific data has been visually translated (ex: graphs, diagrams),
while at the same time provoking expectations of what kind of visual vocabulary is
considered to be in the domain of 'science' or 'art.'" 

The latest development in Miebach's practice includes data translation into musical
scores. Miebach chooses several elements from her personal data and "maps" the numbers
(in pictorial form) on score sheets. Musicians then interpret the "score" as musical
compositions and Miebach interprets the score as three-dimensional sculptures. Her
intentions are twofold: to make manifest a level of emotionality surrounding her research
that latently exist in the sculptures and to reveal patterns in the data musicians
might identify, which she has failed to see. While both the musician and Miebach work
from her "score" sheets, theoretically, musicians could "play" the sculptures, as
all the same data elements exist in the work, in visual form.
Schick Art Gallery is grateful to Cynthia-Reeves Gallery, New York, for their assistance
in making this exhibition come to fruition. The Miebach exhibition, reception and
talk are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 518-580-5049
or visit our website at www.skidmore.edu/schick.