Information Density | 2018

Information Density and Strong Correlations draw upon my experience as a competitive weightlifter and coach. It presents weightlifting movements, equipment, and competition results through felt sculpture, data visualization, performative drawing, and digital fabrication. While maintaining fuzzy borders between information, mark-making, visualization and metaphor, this project addresses the sport of weightlifting as a practice in which fleshy, complicated, physical bodies are intimately connected to data sets and analysis. The work is both a celebration of powerful bodies a reflection on the ways in which we collect and represent the rapidly increasing volume of personal information that technology enables.

Exhibitions

Information Density, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Salt Lake City, UT (solo), 2018

A Short-Lived Escape from Gravity, The Collaboratory at UC Santa Barbara (solo), 2018

Lectures and Presentations

Invited Lecturer, Role/Play Graduate Symposium, National Academy of Science, Washington, DC (2018)

Lightning Talk: Weightlifting, Drawing, and Data, Eyeo Festival, 2018

Media

McGinnis Wray, Kia “Heavy Lifting: works by Molly Morin“, SLUG Magazine, December 6, 2018 – https://www.slugmag.com/arts/art/heavy-lifting-works-molly-morin/

Knight, Kim Brillante, “”Danger, Jane Roe!” Material Data Visualization as Feminist Praxis”, in Bodies of Information: Intersectional Feminism and Digital Humanities, edited by Elizabeth Losh and Jacqueline Wernimont, University of Minnesota Press, 2018.

Biswas, Allie, “Creativity and Collaboration, Revisiting Cybernetic Serendipity“, Studio International, April 4, 2018.

3 x 10, foreground, Training Days, background

Training Day: Audrey, plotter drawing based on motion capture, pigment ink on mylar

2 x 15, needle-felted wool, iron dumbell

Every Attempt, 2017 and Every attempt, 1998 are made from plotter-cut Mylar, patterns generated in Processing, they visualize the results of the 2017 and 1998 results for the women’s competition at the International Weightlifting Federation World Championship. 2017 is the last year that the IWF used the 48, 53 ,58, 63, 69, 75, 75+ weight classes. 1998 is the first year that the IWF used those weight classes.