normal - Jenoptik AG

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Silvia Scharlock
With the 39th edition of their “tangent” arts series, under the title
“Etudes from pi”, Jenoptik presents fiber optic plastics and drawings
by the American artist Yvette Kaiser Smith. She shows the high-tech
character of handiwork – a contrast welcome at Jenoptik.
Crochet work by the American artist Yvette Kaiser Smith have
been open for viewing by the public since mid-April of this year
in the foyer of the Ernst Abbe Tower in Jena. However, crochet in
the traditional sense as many of us may remember from school
has little to do with the works of Yvette Kaiser Smith. The artist
combines the traditional craft technique with high-tech materials
like fiberglass and plastic resin. That’s what makes this work
so entirely different in appearance from traditional handicraft or
crocheted sweaters.
Mathematics as structural foundation.
meets high-tech.
The artworks of Yvette Kaiser Smith present different mathematical
numbers and numeric sequences. Sequences of pi, prime
numbers, or Fibonacci sequences* provide the basic framework
for the mesh-like three-dimensional forms, which despite their
size awaken a feeling of filigree in the viewer, seeming light and
fragile. The meshes correspond to a number assigned to a color.
This makes the mesh a component, a molecule in a network-like
structure that is possible in infinite variations. And the material
adds a little more: It gives the plastics stability and lets them truly
float in space.
Internationality and mathematics in association.
“With Yvette Kaiser Smith, we are hosting an American artist
with a strong reference to the international orientation of our
Group,” says Jenoptik CEO Michael Mertin at the opening of the
exhibition. “And we have succeeded yet again in creating an association
between its content and our company,” he continues.
The works of Yvette Kaiser Smith show the interplay between
technology, science, and art. They are appropriate to the topic
Etude from e: 7 in 4