10/09/2026
What evolves when science and art collide? 𝘙𝘦𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮: 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘰 is a new site-specific installation that translates real-time earthquake data into ever-changing blooms of color drawn from five landscape paintings in the Museum’s permanent collection. Created by Bay Area artist Ken Goldberg, in collaboration with Kabir Shah, Sanjay Krishnan, Fernanda Viégas, and Martin Wattenberg, this unique installation draws on live seismic data from the University of Nevada, Reno campus, transforming the earth's constant motion into circular blooms of color.
The never-repeating bands of color in each bloom are drawn from five landscape paintings by Chester Arnold, Sandow Birk, Maynard Dixon, Jean LaMarr, and Phyllis Shafer. 𝘙𝘦𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮: 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘰 samples from each painting for one minute at a time, so that all five are represented every five minutes, an evolving palette drawn directly from the museum's own walls. By linking artistic interpretations of the land to real-time geological activity, 𝘙𝘦𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮: 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘰 creates an ever-changing and unpredictable experience.
Ken Goldberg is Founding Director of Berkeley’s Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium, and Professor of Engineering and Art Practice at UC Berkeley. He states: “As an artist and roboticist, I use new technologies to express the contrasts between what is natural and what is artificial, the liminal spaces between reality and representation. I’m excited to present this installation created uniquely for the Nevada Museum of Art.”
𝘙𝘦𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮: 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘰 opens Saturday, October 10 and is on view through February 7, 2027 in the Thomas Lee Bottom Gallery.
On October 16, join us for a talk with Goldberg about the collision of art and data. Free for members and students. Register at: https://www.nevadaart.org/event/the-collision-of-art-and-data-with-artist-ken-goldberg/
