Anna Von Mertens' art is heavily research driven; investigations of phenomena crossing the realms of scientific study and her private world are of particular interest. These are translated into subjective pieces usually via means of hand dyeing and quilting. She says," These patterns reveal to me aspects of our existence, whether it is how we experience time and face the infinite - embedded in that is our own mortality - or how the boundary of the body is presented to others versus how it is felt internally. I see all of these elements as a form of mapping, reflecting the need to get my own bearings in this vast universe."
Anna coached OS31 through several quilting projects, culminating in a large collaborative collage which now hangs in our historic dining hall. 
Michael Arcega is a sculptor and installation artist whose work utilizes language and historic narratives to explore sociopolitical dynamics and unbalanced power relations. "Jumbling signifier, material, linguistics, and site," Michael uses considers cultural connotations found in "food, architecture, visual lexicons," and the rich contrasts of insider vs. outsider knowledge.
With this in mind, Michael asked OS31 to create a series of body extensions meant to consider the body as an art medium and raise questions of functionality, intent, ingrained social perceptions, and redefining the physical limitations of the body. Ranging from techno-heads to buddy suits to musical helmets to plastic claws to clothes tents to an epistolary approach, these projects are exciting in their inventiveness, playfulness, and capacity for serious commentary.
quoted text from http://annavonmertens.com and http://arcega.us/home.html. Photos: Finn N, Patrick, Pattiann, Megan
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