Itinerant Signal Institute (Rite of Spring)

2024-present

Solo show at Flux IV

Itinerant Signal Institute (Rite of Spring) is a fictional institute and installation, grounded in techno-ecological art. The story of the Institute is told through sculpture, digital images, internet art, microcontrollers, and scientific displays. In it, creatures have emerged from the melting permafrost to join the Institute and return to modern-day cities to examine their climates. The creatures wear headdresses of bones and fossils, inspired by Eastern European carnival costumes that denote the changing of seasons. They acknowledge the effect of human activity on the Arctic Circle, and anticipate increasing climate migration due to military fuel consumption. The Institute tests for environmental toxins to identify places of relative safety, through small hand-built quasi-scientific devices that test the air and soil. The work also addresses queer migration, and re-defining the idea of home in the current political climate. It incorporates plant knowledge to influence the endocrine system, reducing human desire for late-stage capitalism and war at a biological level. Sites tested by the Institute include former military bases, including WWII sites in Europe, and Newtown Creek, the location of one of the United State's largest oil spills, where my family lived when they emigrated to New York City. The work evolves as the Institute installs servers in partner organizations as the project moves from place to place.

Events from August 6-August 30, 2026

Opening at Flux IV: Thursday, August 6, 6-9pm, with an artist talk at 7pm

Exhibition Hours at Flux IV: August 6-30, Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6pm

Satellite location at Forest for Trees Collective, July 13-September 13, Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-5pm.

Performance beginning at Flux IV, Saturday August 22, 3pm

Closing party at Flux IV: Sunday, August 30th.

Locations

Flux IV
56-21 2nd St.
Long Island City, NY 11101
https://www.fluxfactory.org/fluxiv/

Forest for Trees Collective
Nolan Park Building 7B
Governors Island, NY 10004
https://www.govisland.com/things-to-do/ongoing-programs/forest-for-trees-collective

In-progress website >>

Map of sites tested >>