Eva Pushkova
Northampton, MA
pushkova.com
Eva Pushkova is a maker of things. She has learned through play and experimentation, from numerous teachers, as well as at FIT and MassArt. She currently works in ceramics, glass, fiber, metal, and found objects. A web developer since 1994, Eva enjoys working at the intersection of design, storytelling, and technology. Her current work explores the friction and synergy between the highly technological and the handmade.
Work
Featured Work
Eva Pushkova, TikTok Dopamine, 2023; tufted wool yarn.
Eva Pushkova, Repetitive Stress Injuries, 2023; tufted wool yarn.
Eva Pushkova, Influencer Influenza, 2023; tufted wool yarn.
Artist Statement by Eva Pushkova
The subjects of the rugs in this show reflect some of the many challenges and questions that all of us, particularly parents, engage with as digital society rapidly evolves all around us.
I’ve observed that many of us who work in technology seek something physical and messy and tactile to balance it out. Parents seek this balance for our children, trying to make sure they engage in other, more physical and tactile activities, to counterbalance “screen time”. The last few decades have seen an enormous renewal of interest in handmade arts, paralleling the explosive growth of digital society, as all of us try to find more balance.
There’s something about the space where the two meet – the friction and synergy between technology and the handmade – that is fascinating to me.
These rugs were made in that space. The rugs are based on designs created in collaboration with Midjourney AI by fine-tuning hundreds of language prompts. These AI-inspired rugs were then created by hand using a tufting gun and reclaimed and thrifted wool. The technology-rooted subject matter heightens the contrast with the ancient and tactile art of rugmaking.
In this moment of conversation and controversy about Artificial Intelligence, this project seeks to blur the lines further — giving these “imaginary” images a physical reality, and creating a partnership between AI and the hand, eye and tools of a human artist.