JENN KITAGAWA | SLOWLY, SLOWLY | January 5-30

Slowly, Slowly is an exploration into the relationship between the self and technology through textiles and video documentation. The artwork is an analog observation of the internet and digital communication. As life increasingly becomes more mechanized and instantaneous, the intention is to disrupt the infinite screen scroll, invite pausation and to be present.

Employing familiar materials such as cotton and wood emphasizes the idea of creating something tangible as a response to a quickly moving space that is constantly refreshing and disappearing. Textiles are physical, and cannot be made to appear or vanish with the click of a button. The materials also inform the process: Using the technique of hand weaving is a conscious reaction against screens and the immediacy of digital spaces. Weaving is unhurried and meditative, and encourages viewers to slow down while experiencing each piece.

The artwork is based on digital idioms that circle back to the physical world, and the colours correspond to pixelated photographs of nature. The show also includes a 64-hour-long video documenting the slow process of hand making the central artwork - serving as another means of capturing the time, labour and
physical space required.

The main concern for producing these works is to make the connection between URL and IRL and then interrupt it. To create a dialogue with the viewer, and to push up against the capitalistic view that time is only valuable if efficiently used or productive. To reconnect to the physical world, to the physical body and to allow room for uncurated and algorithm free thought. To welcome respite and stillness.