Thien-Kim Bui & Sumi Wu / PPGIS (Portland, OR): where is what we map
Sculpture
Cut/Paste by Thien-Kim Bui.
PERFORMANCE SYNOPSIS
“where is what we map” is a public participation geographic imagination sculpture. Welcomed by a tour guide to a 3-D raised relief model of an undetermined place, visitors are invited to contribute to this collage installation using maps, found items, memorabilia, and other ephemera, to mark and find their way.
BIO
Sumi Wu is an artist, sculptor, and theatrical designer. She has created numerous large-scale public and private art commissions throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her sculptural media include cast and handblown glass, fabricated and cast metals: stainless steel, bronze, and aluminum. Sumi maintains parallel careers in public art and theatrical design of sets, costumes, and props for dance, opera, and theatre. Her artwork is informed by the cooperative exploration of the workings of the human mind and heart that is possible in the performing arts.
Thien-Kim Bui is a geographer, PhD candidate in Earth, Environment and Society at Portland State University, and a senior fellow at the National Policy Consensus Center. In their work, Bui uses participatory mapping and other community-based methods to promote environmental engagement and study water governance and stewardship in the US West. Recently, their papercut map collage was selected for inclusion in “you are here: the journal of creative geography.”
CREDIT
Thien-Kim Bui: Lead Facilitator/Tour Guide; Sculptor
Sumi Wu: Lead Sculptor, Facilitator/Tour Guide