MEET: CHRISTOPHER HSIEH
Fathomers’ new Directors’ and Programs Assistant
Christopher Hsieh, a current UCLA musicology and art history double major, first joined the Fathomers team as our summer Curatorial Intern through the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship program. Following dedicated work and notable contributions to the research phase of Emergence: A Genealogy, we are excited to announce that this fall, Christopher will continue working part-time as Fathomers’ new Directors’ and Programs Assistant!
We sat down with Christopher at the beginning of his internship to discuss his new role:
Q: What do you hope to learn at Fathomers during your internship?
I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to see the working parts of a nonprofit for the arts. I see myself as a jack-of-all-trades, and when it comes to working with a tight knit team, I find it even more important to understand what those around me are doing in order to create an ideal space for collaboration.
Q: What were you most excited about regarding the work you'd be doing with Fathomers?
In studying art history, I have always felt that most people see art as something that happened, rather than something that is alive and happening. That is why I am incredibly inspired to be working on Fathomers’ Emergence exhibition, which intersects art, technology, and society, and also increases our awareness of race and identity.
We caught up with Christopher again at the end of his internship to talk about his research with Fathomers as he transitions to his new role: Directors’ and Programs Assistant.
Q: What were your initial thoughts on Emergence, and what topics regarding the intersection of synthetic biology and contemporary art are you most interested in learning more about?
As someone with less of a background in science and technology, it was initially very overwhelming to research scientists and CEOs of biotech companies. However, I very quickly realized how closely intertwined art and science are, and how the two are beginning to collide on an institutional scale. Art and creativity has always been associated with fantasy and fiction, while science roots itself in reality and fact. Bio-art is blurring that line, and turning science fiction into fact.
Q: Now that your internship is coming to a close, what’s been the most valuable part of your experience with Fathomers?
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to meet with countless artists, engaging with their work, and learning how their passions and practices overlapped with what we were trying to create. This experience truly broke down that wall between me, as a student of art, and that idea of the famed “artist.” It has also been incredible getting the opportunity to assist Stacy and Annie on a curatorial level.
Q: Your work with Emergence has propelled the research greatly! What are your thoughts on the project today?
The intersection of synthetic biology and contemporary art was something completely foreign to me. In the beginning, I was hesitant since I felt so far removed from the sciences, but upon familiarizing myself with the genre and diving into the research, each project fascinated me. Our visit to JACCC, the venue for the exhibition, compounded my growing excitement for the project and made my involvement in Emergence a tangible experience. Soon after, I began taking it upon myself to begin looking into various artists, initiating conversations, and building connections.
Q: I love to hear that you grew more comfortable in your role on the project! Please tell me about your favorite assignment.
Because Emergence is going to be held at the JACCC, the exhibition will have access to the Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Center. Access to this space opens up the potential to exhibit performance art that intersects with the culinary arts. This drove me to explore artists who had works that used food as a device to explore the bio-art space. I ultimately landed on the Taiwanese artist Pei-Ying Lin, based in Amsterdam, and her work Virophilia, a futuristic cookbook published in the year 2063 that integrates viruses and bacteria into the culinary process. I set up a conversation between our curatorial team and Pei in order to begin our research into bio-art that is represented in food.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in your new role as Directors' and Programs Assistant?
With this new role, I am incredibly excited to get the opportunity to experience the various Fathomers projects on a long-term scale. Over the past few months, it has become increasingly clear just how much research and planning goes into every project. I am very much looking forward to seeing the research I conducted while I was an intern be integrated into future programs!