Linda Dement facts for kids
Linda Dement (born in 1960 in Brisbane) is an Australian artist who works in many different fields. She uses digital art, photography, film, and writes non-fiction. Linda Dement is famous for exploring new ways to create art using early computer technologies. These include things like CD-ROMs, 3-D modeling, and interactive software.
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Her Art Career
Linda Dement started showing her art in 1984. She earned a degree in Fine Arts from the City Art Institute, Sydney in 1988.
Her amazing computer art and digital pictures have been shown all over the world. You could see them in galleries and festivals in places like London, Austria, Sydney, and Montreal. She is also a respected artist who has been part of the ANAT program.
Working with Others
Working with other artists is very important to Linda Dement. One of her award-winning projects was "Eurydice 1997–2007." She first planned this with American writer Kathy Acker. They wanted to make an interactive digital artwork based on Acker's book, Eurydice in the Underworld (1997). This book was about Kathy Acker's experience with cancer.
Sadly, Kathy Acker passed away in 1997. Linda Dement continued the project by herself. She created a new series of large images that explored difficult feelings. Two of these images, "Blue Plastic" (2005) and "White Rose" (2006), won the National Digital Art Award. Linda Dement talked about this project on ABC Radio National.
Critics praised "Eurydice 1997–2007." One critic, George Alexander, said the images were so real and powerful that you didn't just look at them, you gave them your full attention.
Art and Roller Derby
In 2010, Linda Dement created "Bloodbath" with five other artists and the Sydney Roller Derby League. This was a live event where art was made from human collisions! Sensors on the roller derby players' helmets sent data to a computer. This data then created digital artworks as the game happened. For example, one artwork called Axle Grind used a robotic guitar that played sounds when players bumped into each other. This project showed how art can be made from sports and technology.
Art and Technology for Change
Linda Dement's work helped start a movement called cyberfeminism in Australian art. This movement used technology to challenge old ideas about gender. It also showed how women could be important in the new digital world of the 1990s. Through her art, Dement wants to "give form to the unbearable." Her art often explores how our bodies relate to society and challenges traditional ideas about women.
One famous work is Cyberflesh Girlmonster (1995). This was a CD-ROM made from body parts donated by women. About 30 women scanned parts of their bodies and recorded sounds or sentences. Dement then used these to create "monster" bodies on the computer. When you clicked on a monster, you might hear words, see another monster, or watch a video. It was a strange and funny way to show ideas about women and power from a feminist point of view.
Challenges and Censorship
Some of Linda Dement's early artworks faced problems with censorship in Australia. Her work Typhoid Mary was called "obscene" by some politicians. It was later classified as "not suitable for those under the age of 18" by the Australian Government. Another work, In My Gash, also received a "Restricted" classification.
Stephen Wright, a writer, said that Dement's art makes us think about difficult experiences. He suggested that her work makes us pay close attention because it explores deep feelings and hidden truths about what we do to each other.
Her Works
| Year | Title | Media | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Cyberfeminist Bed Sheet Flown as a Flag | Performance art, mixed media | A project with Nancy Mauro-Flude that used a bed sheet as a flag, with quotes from authors. |
| 2013 | Awry Signals | Performance art, augmented reality, mixed media | A project with Nancy Mauro-Flude to create a special electronic device and performance. |
| 2013 | 50BPM | A collaboration with Kelly Doley. | |
| 2013 | Kill Fix | ||
| 2012 | Moving Forest | Also known as "Castle 2012." | |
| 2011 | Killing the Host | ||
| 2010 | Bloodbath | A collaboration with Francesca da Rimini, Kate Richards, Nancy Mauro-Flude, Sarah Waterson and Sydney Roller Derby League. | |
| 2009 | The Ends of the Earth | A collaboration with Jane Castle. | |
| 2009 | On Track | A collaboration with the group In Serial. | |
| 2008 | Moving Forest London | A collaboration with Shu Lea Cheang and Martin Howse for the Transmediale Festival. | |
| 2007 | I Know You Think It's Too Late | ||
| 2007–1997 | Eurydice | A collaboration with Kathy Acker. | |
| 1999 | In My Gash | CD-ROM | |
| 1995 | Cyberflesh Girlmonster | CD-ROM | Linda Dement asked women to scan their body parts digitally. She then used these scans to create "mutant" digital bodies for the artwork. |
| 1991 | Typhoid Mary | CD-ROM | |
| 1991–1981 | Various photographic works |
Her Writings
Linda Dement has also written several books and articles:
- Artists Thinking About Science (1994)
- I Really Want to Kill You But I Can't Remember Why (1995)
- "Girl #4 Late 70s" in Love Cries (1995)
- "Payment" in Warp Drive (1998)
- Byte Me: art + culture + technology (1999)
Awards and Achievements
Linda Dement has won many awards for her art. She won the Harries Australian National Digital Art Award twice, in 2005 and 2006. She also received a New Media Arts Fellowship in 1996 and the Digital Futures Fund in 2010 from the Australia Council for the Arts. Her work won Best CD-ROM at the 9th Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival in Germany. She also received special mentions from New Voices/New Visions in Palo Alto, California, and Ars Electronica in Austria.
Artist Residencies
Linda Dement was an artist in residence at the City of Sydney William Street Creative Hub in 2014. This means she was given a special place and time to work on her art.
See also
In Spanish: Linda Dement para niños
