American Artist: The Monophobic Response
American Artist: The Monophobic Response
American Artist: The Monophobic Response documents a meticulously crafted yet poetically altered re-creation of a pivotal 1936 static rocket engine test that initiated the United States' venture into space travel. Inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s 1993 novel Parable of the Sower, which unfolds in the imagined dystopic year of 2024, American Artist performed and filmed The Monophobic Response in the Mojave Desert in the summer of 2024. Artist’s interpretation involved an actual rocket engine test fire in a desolate Californian landscape, creating eerie juxtapositions between Butler’s prescient visions and our troubling realities. Drawing parallels between Butler’s fictive 2024 U.S. presidential race led by an anti-space demagogue and the impending real-world election, this installation weaves together thought-provoking takes on our collective liberation and the concept of our shared “Destiny.”
This installation was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. American Artist: The Monophobic Response is made possible with support from Getty through its PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative, and from Hyundai Motor as an extension of The Hyundai Project: Art + Technology at LACMA, a long-term joint initiative exploring the convergence of art
and technology.
American Artist: The Monophobic Response is among more than 60 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art.
Image: AI-generated image of the Mojave Test Area, hand-drawn diagram of GALCIT test replica by Dave Nordling, image courtesy the artist
- Nov 1–Nov 4, 2024
- BCAM, Level 2
This installation was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. American Artist: The Monophobic Response is made possible with support from Getty through its PST ART: Art & Science Collide initiative, and from Hyundai Motor as an extension of The Hyundai Project: Art + Technology at LACMA, a long-term joint initiative exploring the convergence of art
and technology.
American Artist: The Monophobic Response is among more than 60 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is presented by Getty. For more information about PST ART: Art & Science Collide, please visit pst.art.
Image: AI-generated image of the Mojave Test Area, hand-drawn diagram of GALCIT test replica by Dave Nordling, image courtesy the artist