September 2002: Sumi Wu

In a one person exhibition, mixed media artist Sumi Wu will present a show at the Guardino Gallery entitled "Antiquated Instruments for a Modern Universe." In it Wu considers the possibility of directly experiencing black holes and the Big Bang.

According to Wu some modern science can only be explained through theory. "What does an alternative universe feel like? What would the universe look like if you were an actual explorer." Many of the pieces in this show are reminiscent of those used by a Renaissance or nineteenth-century explorer. But they are tools for measuring modern concepts. One of the pieces she will be presenting is titled "Socks for the Exploration of Black Holes'. Wu explains that her " knitted socks with elongated toes are designed to keep the space explorer warm even as space-time stretches out at the brink of the black hole".

Many people know Wu as a clay artist, along with her latest passion with welding. In this show she uses a wide variety of media. Some of the materials she uses include forged steel, hammered copper, velvet, yarn and borosilicate glass.