Sam Lewitt

Narrator: Look closely at Sam Lewitt’s installation. What do you notice? Lewitt uses a material called Ferrofluid, which is a liquid with magnetic properties that is used to make hard drives and music speakers. Lewitt says that he wants to show us a technology that is usually invisible, one that is hidden in electronic parts.

To make this, the artist puts magnets on top of large plastic squares. Then he carefully pours the Ferrofluid on top of the magnets. Do you see how it glistens and shivers as the fans blow air onto it? The material almost has a life of its own. Lewitt asks us to consider, quote, “Who is the author of this work? Who creates the work? The stuff or the artist?”