Screws and Glue, Diedra Krieger
With Plastic Fantastic at Powel and Art Teacher Laurie Doran & photographs by Benjamin Kodtischek
On view: June 6 – July 6, 2024
The Arts League, 4226 Spruce Street, Phila. PA 19104
Trashbots Workshop: 10:30am Saturday June 8
Supported by Penn Engineering ODEI
Sign up: https://forms.gle/WppQuzFUtNZKBBnYA
Opening Reception: 4-7pm Saturday June 15
Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri from 1-6 pm, Sat + Sun by appointment
Artist Statement
Screws and Glue is the first iteration of bringing mechatronics, developed over a year and a half in Kod*lab, into a Plastic Fantastic inspired immersive environment. The exhibition is comprised of interactive sculpture, large wall pieces, 2D work, video performance, a look into Kod*lab, and thousands of postconsumer water bottles as the primary materials. Mechatronics, origami, and bioinspired robotics theory inform experiments and innovations of the aesthetic landscape of the exhibition. Earth Day 2024’s Plastic Fantastic at Powel School, a 16 foot geodesic dome covered in over 6000 water bottles collected and constructed by Powel’s elementary students, is reimagined into an immersive Icosahedron.
Bio
Diedra Krieger creates playful immersive environments using post-consumer water bottles and bioinspired robotics. Her artwork addresses concerns about access to drinking water while providing an organizing structure for social relations. She is an interdisciplinary artist and curator exploring the convergence of art and technology, with international acclaim for her projects showcased at esteemed venues like the Anchorage Museum and International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). Holding an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Art and an MA from Monash University, Krieger’s practice spans robotics art residencies and workshops at prestigious events like the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2024. Her work has been reviewed in prominent publications including The Art Blog, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Hyperallergic.
