All Ages Artmaking: Seven Part Work of Art

Floor 3, Theater

Open for all ages

Artists of all ages are invited to join us for a special day of artmaking with the artist Christine Sun Kim and explore the survey of her work, All Day All Night. 

Kim’s art asks you to think in new ways about sound and about the ways we communicate with each other. She often makes work that gets creative with her native language, American Sign Language, known as ASL. And no matter whether your own native language involves speaking or signing, she’ll get you thinking about it in new ways! 

In her installation, One Week of Lullabies for Roux (2018), Kim invites visitors to sit on a bench and listen to seven lullabies composed for her daughter Roux. Kim started this project after noticing that her baby monitor had pre-programmed lullabies that could be set to play when infants cry. Kim, who is raising children in a mixed Deaf and hearing household, recalled “a feeling of unease” about these unfamiliar songs, so she “factored them out of the sound diet.” To counter this, she provided a text score to some of her friends (who are also parents) with instructions to compose lullabies that omit lyrics and emphasize low frequencies. The artist-designed bench resembles a color-coded weekly pillbox, a reminder of the daily rituals and routines of childcare.

Reflect on what brings you comfort. Lullabies soothe babies when they cry. What soothes you when you feel sad or overwhelmed? Consider the people, places, activities, favorite snacks, or treasured belongings that bring you a sense of calm. Then, create your own work of art by transforming a pillbox into a seven-part work of art for a moment of comfort each day of the week.