(Lauren Pien) Artist Presentation: Annina Rüst

Annina Rüst (Ruest) is a new media artist that creates artwork using electronic technologies, machinery, and software, using typical everyday objects.  She studied at Zürich University of the Arts, Switzerland in Visual Communications with New Media Emphasis, and has a M.F.A. from University of California, San Diego and a M.S. from MIT.  Currently she is a professor at Syracuse in the Department of Transmedia.

The more recent works stem from Ruest’s computer and engineering background, which is evident in almost all her pieces where she utilizes some sort of software hacking, or creating robotics.  Some of her pieces does not use video in the traditional sense, but instead uses video as a commentary on society.  Ruest's work has since evolved into works with commentaries about environmental issues and is currently focusing on feminism and technology in the workplace, recognizing the disparity in numbers between men and women. She has shown her work in exhibitions all over Europe and the US, specifically Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Italy, Austria, New York, California, and New Mexico as well as had her work reviewed in the New York Times and Huffington Post.

Going back to Ruest's video usage, her work Track the Trackers uses a computer and headphone system to detect video surveillance cameras in public areas.  When the user is within a certain distance of the cameras the user will hear noise in the headphones and the location of the security camera is added to a database.  Higher surveyed areas will be recognized by a lot of noise, while less secure places will be more silent to the user.  The purpose of the project is to spread awareness of the frequency people are being videotaped, implying that we are often being watched without knowing it.  

Since then Ruest’s work has evolved into the focus on feminism in technological fields.  Her most recent work is called A Piece of the Pie Chart, which observes the high numbers of men in engineering positions compared to women.  The user inserts a pie into the machines and chooses a statistic about women in the technological workforce from different companies, universities, or basically anywhere using a computer. The machine then takes this statistic and creates a literal pie chart on a piece of pie; the user can then eat the pie chart, or send it to the company, university, etc. showing them their current gender differences.

Track the Trackers: http://www.anninaruest.com/a/trackers/index.html
A Piece of the Pie Chart: https://vimeo.com/79534316