Nonhuman Futures

This program is part of the Alignments in the Indigenous Design Process series, developed in collaboration with the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning and Design. Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples were among the first architects of our built environment to design structures synchronized with nature and seasonal changes, aligned with the cosmos, and honoring our holistic relationship with a larger system. This series will present processes and projects with an array of alignments with natural and artificial elements that are woven into Indigenous spatial design methodologies.

Suzanne Kite is a performance artist, visual artist, and composer. In this lecture, she will be talking about spatial relationships between human and non-human entities in her installation and design work.

Speaker:
Dr. Suzanne Kite

Host:
Emily Velez Nelms, Artist; Whitney ISP Studio Participant; Master's of Environmental Design Candidate at the Yale School of Architecture; ISAPD Yale Member; Graduate Coordinator for the Yale Group for the Study of Native America

About the Speaker:
Kite (Dr. Suzanne Kite) is an Oglála Lakȟóta performance artist, visual artist, and composer raised in Southern California, with a BFA from CalArts in music composition,and an MFA from Bard College’s Milton Avery Graduate School, and a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Concordia University, Montreal. Kite’s scholarship and practice investigate contemporary Lakȟóta ontologies through research-creation, computational media, and performance, often working in collaboration with family and community members. Recently, Kite has been developing body interfaces for machine learning driven performance and sculptures generated by dreams, and experimental sound and video work. Kite has published in The Journal of Design and Science (MIT Press), with the award winning article, “Making Kin with Machines,” co-authored with Jason Lewis, Noelani Arista, and Archer Pechawis. Kite is currently a 2023 Creative Capital Award Winner, 2023 USA Fellow, and a 2022-2023 Creative Time Open Call artist with Alisha B. Wormsley. Kite is currently Distinguished Artist in Residence and Assistant Professor of American and Indigenous Studies, Bard College and a Research Associate and Residency Coordinator for the Abundant Intelligences (Indigenous AI) project.

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