Alexis Neumann

  My artistic practice is research-based, focusing on and celebrating complexity, intricacy and balance through light, sound, and installation art. I highlight the interconnectedness of the world within the body and soul influenced by music, nature, spirituality, technology, illness, and more, frequently utilizing networks, light, and biological imagery. I utilize materials accessible and sustainable for me, whether that be wire, moss, broken glass, medical supplies, or recycled plastic, to make not only my process an example of social justice but to also highlight the rebirth of materials and make work that is able to be large-scale and experiential. I’ve used a wide range of materials like recycled pill bottles to normalize the act of taking medicine and stained glass practices to engage a historical and traditional iconic art form that displays celestial forces. 

Transparency, intricacy, dissonance and multiplicity of materials illuminates (oftentimes literally) challenging, complicated topics like biology, disability, or religion in an inviting and approachable way. My work is therapeutic and generative, building off of collaborative knowledge, creating extensive knots to parallel the pain and confusion of migraines or engaging the history and healing capabilities of moss. It is important for my work to be accessible in many different ways, so I engage multiple senses and make my art immersive and responsive to the viewer by using interactive technology. 

Experimenting with ways of making is significant for my process because it references a deeply held belief of mine, that there is always something more to discover, learn about, and share. I combine recycled objects, translucent materials, wire, lights and sound to engage and reference mental, spiritual, natural, and anatomical processes. And I share my own journey with invisible illness and spirituality and use research and community conversations to include other voices. Research is deeply influential to my art as inspiration can take the form of so many things, but it frequently comes from science, light, medical knowledge, sound, and conversations with others.