Kinetic imaging unleashed at The Anderson

Bella LoBue, Contributing Writer

VCUarts Kinetic Imaging senior capstone exhibition, “The Art Happens Here,” opened with a reception on March 28. The project will be free for public viewing through April 3 at the Anderson Gallery. 

The exhibition featured multimedia projects, mixing projectors with hanging installations, physical sculptures, scrims, cameras and more. 

“This show is bringing all my closest friends together. It shows the variety of skills everyone in KI has from coding to video to animation, etc,” said J Winske, who was featured in the exhibition. 

The show had a common theme of digital interactivity and surveillance, according to Winske. 

Winske’s piece, “Body of Work,” showed a video of scrambling red images nestled inside a sculpture replica of her own body. 

The disemboweled figure, with spray foam intestines and Winske’s own hair as veins, trailed red ropes onto the floor to reflect gore. Projected behind the body is a black-and-white video of Winske blinking and sticking her fingers in her mouth. 

“Sculpture is a newer medium for me, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try,” Winske said. “And I really wanted to incorporate a screen within a physical piece, but I’m so happy to see it all come together.”

Winske said she aimed for a peaceful tone despite its violent appearance. 

Delaney Slavik, another artist featured, had the multimedia piece “Pick Me Up, But Don’t Drop Me.” It mixed sensors, circuits and glass sculpture to create an interactive sound machine. 

Slavik’s piece was comprised of many square glass bowls with circuits attached inside. When lifted and turned in a certain, unknown direction, the speaker played a cowbell sound. All coding, glass and design work was done by Slavik herself.

Featured artist Njood Albawardi constructed a large, 3D-printed exhibit that sensed certain movements of its viewers and moved accordingly, requiring the viewer to figure out how to activate it. 

The piece, “Comp(U)sit(I)on,” was a comment on how people interact with digital media, Albawardi said. 

“People don’t often think about the people that make the machines,” Albawardi said. 

Albawardi said she wanted people to know they have the power to change what they get from media.

Nawaf Tamim’s piece, “Rebellious Light – ضوء متمرد,” filled a dark room, projecting patterns onto the floor and ceiling, and featured glow-in-the-dark structures, including a pair of green hands extending from the wall and cupping bakhoor. It even greeted you with perfume. 

“My favorite part is the two garments hanging on the wall — traditional ‘Thawb’ in Arabic — with a projection of fire lit on them,” Tamim said. 

The use of cultural symbols reimagined how heritage is portrayed within digital spaces, creating a dialogue between contemporary media art and tradition, according to Tamim.

Tamim said he hopes the piece will connect with a broad audience.

“It’s an invitation to reimagine a culture that’s often misunderstood or misrepresented,” Tamim said.

As these seniors move into the world, they hope to continue KI experimentation and creation, according to Tamim. 

“While the current work stands strong, it opens the door to deeper exploration,” Tamim said. “There are several galleries in the Middle East — like AFAC, Louvre Abu Dhabi, JAX District in Riyadh and Hafez Gallery in Jeddah — that are actively seeking art that challenges and reshapes cultural narratives.”

Tamim said, “The Art Happens Here” exhibit celebrated the diversity, innovation and bold storytelling that is within the KI department. 

The exhibition is available for viewing until April 3 at The Anderson. More information can be found on VCUarts website.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article said that Nawaf Tamim’s piece, “Rebellious Light – ضوء متمرد,” included a pair of green hands extending from the wall and cupping dirt. The hands are holding bakhoor, not dirt. The article has been updated to properly reflect the artist’s work.