Our new guest for the interview series is Marianna Dixon Williams. They are an artist based in the United States who builds handmade electronic objects and develops installations that question themes of identity, environmental change, and the ability of this world to be simulated, emulated, and measured digitally.
Marianna and I met in the first week of class at Rhode Island School of Design and became close friends and colleagues ever since. We've been giving each other constructive feedback and support throughout our careers.
Website: https://marianalog.com/
Instagram: @mariannawils
1.    What are your both digital and analogue favourite tools?
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(digital) My field recorder - for collecting beta in the world.
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(analogue) I have a 4" combination square that fits in the palm of my hand and that stays tight - It allows me to create very precise measurements on two planes!
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2.    Who inspires you the most, whether an artist, designer, architect, or a family member?
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There have been many, most of whom are my friends
WATER NARRATIVES 2016 - 2020 by Marianna Dixon Williams
3.    Share a new trend that excites you.
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Nashville hot chicken!!... Ok, in all seriousness, I'm very excited about circular design and the re-consideration of materials within fabrication and distribution processes.
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4.    Briefly discuss the latest book, movie, and exhibition you enjoyed and why.
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Everything, Everywhere, All at Once - the multi-verse is just de-stabilizing enough to earnestly tell us more about family, joy and being.
NEW WORLDS 2023 by Marianna Dixon Williams, Installation at the Atlanta Contemporary
5.    What's your go-to song in the studio?
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I love the "S is for evrysing" by the Books.
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6.    What’s a good studio advice to share?
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Find a place to make your work that's totally for 'making your work'. Find at least an hour a few days a week to 'make this work', even if it feels like the hour doesn't matter. Document what you do each day in a journal - I like to share photos rather than write. Try to work in a way that allows for some risk, but which also gives you ways to analyse how each action leads into the next. We learn a lot about ourselves by bumping up against something solid.
About Marianna Dixon Williams
Marianna Dixon Williams has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Europe and has completed studio projects in sites ranging from the Arctic Circle to South Africa’s Western Cape. Notable exhibitions include The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C., the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, The Wrong Biennial, the James A. Michener Museum, the Noyes Museum Galleries, and the European Cultural Center’s Palazzo Bembo in tandem with the 59th Venice Art Biennale. Williams has acted as a Design Fellow at Penn Praxis, a consultant for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, a consultant for Georgia’s Covid-19 Taskforce, an organizer for community-driven arts spaces, and has produced commissioned installations for ShopCore Properties and Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate. Williams is a recipient of a Community Foundation grant and is an Assistant Professor at Mount Holyoke College.