Catalyst Conversations in partnership with MIT List Visual Arts Center presents:
Picturing Language:
Artist Sarah Hulsey
Linguist Athulya Aravind
April 25, 2024
The persistence of language is a human experience. Both art and language act as a door to that experience. The structure of language is the structure of the brain, as linguist Noam Chomsky says, “language is not just a bunch of words statistically strung together. Structures governing words come from the mind.”
Sarah Hulsey describes her work this way: “My work is concerned with the architecture that underpins language, which we use effortlessly but with little awareness of its beauty and complexity. Even a simple sentence has layers and layers of organization, governed by a complex set of rules and interactions happening below the level of our conscious knowledge. Small pieces of information (atomic components, as it were) combine into ever larger units within the concurrent linguistic systems at play. These components are organized into elegant structures that exist only in the mind. In my artwork, I analyze these structures and create visual correlates, looking for poetry and resonance in the rich patterns that emerge.”
Artist Sarah Hulsey and MIT Linguist Athulya Aravind will explore the important underlying aspect of the structure of language that compels them in their respective practices. The idea of picturing language is a way of understanding language, which is so deeply embedded in us.
Founded in 2012, Catalyst Conversations creates programs that pair artists and scientists for intimate conversations. These conversations have explored topics at the forefront of science and art-making today such as theoretical mathematics, watershed conservation, public art, STEAM education, neuroscience and more. In a region full of innovation and knowledge, Catalyst Conversations offers a unique opportunity for participants of all ages and educational backgrounds to access new knowledge. Ideas are not only presented to the public, they are held open for extended conversation allowing a unique entry to intellectual inquiry.
As MIT’s contemporary art museum, the List Center’s history is deeply connected to the Institute’s long-standing commitment to supporting the arts and humanities on campus. MIT List Visual Arts Center provides artists with a space to freely experiment and push boundaries. Our galleries and programs are always free and open to all.
Video recording will be available at a later date. Follow us on social media and join our Catalyst Conversations email list to be notified when the video is released!
Image: Sarah Hulsey. Syllable Tokens. 2021. Pen and ink, pencil, relief print, collage. 9" x 8.5". photo: Will Howcroft.
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