Andrea Polli

I have been a practicing artist for over 30 years. For the first ten, my focus was on art using computer programming, engineering and other methods bridging art and science. I created interactive sound and visual performances and installations. During that time, I used algorithms from weather and climate models in collaboration with atmospheric scientists. In 2004, I experienced a turning point. I was collaborating with atmospheric scientists at NASA/Goddard Institute when I learned about the science of rapid climate change and global warming. At that time, climate change was not well known by the public, and, shocked by the stories I was hearing from the scientists, I began to create public artworks using sensor technologies in an attempt to raise awareness of the fragility of our atmosphere, a practice that I continue today. Since 2013, my work has progressively moved from presenting patterns and systems visually or sonically to intervening in those processes through functional structures. For example, I created a small-scale energy production ‘nano-grid’ to power lights on a city bridge or built an outdoor ‘kitchen’ for microbial manipulation, juxtaposing ancient methods and contemporary biotech. What unites my practice over these years is an attempt to make invisible patterns of the earth, nature and society visible, audible and tangible. Examples of these patterns are weather, atmosphere and air quality and the cycles of activities of an indi

Andrea Polli is an artist working at the intersection of art, science and technology. Her interdisciplinary research has been presented as public artworks, media installations, community projects, performances, broadcasts, mobile and geolocative media, publications, and through the curation and organization of public exhibitions and events. She creates artworks designed to raise awareness of environmental issues. Often, these works express scientific data obtained through her collaborations with scientists and engineers and have taken the form of sound art, vehicle-based works, public light works, mobile media experiences, and bio-art and design. Polli holds an MFA in Time Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a PhD in practice-led research from the University of Plymouth in the UK.

2-D, 3-D, Collage/Mixed Media, Digital Art, Fiber Arts, Installation, Painting (all materials)