I am an architect, born and raised in Alaska, currently living in Boston, and commuting to Providence for Fab Academy 2015. I have a strong background in art and design but zero experience making and programming electronics. (Does syncing my ipod count?) I am fascinated by the possibilities digitial fabrication tools can offer for creative expression and feel like I am discovering an entirely new world that I had only previously heard rumors about - and that makes me very happy.
The AS220 Industries is a community Maker Space that offers affordable, project-based, experiential learning in digital fabrication, printmaking and media arts. By providing access to studio space, tools of the trade, and varied training opportunities, the AS220 Industries fosters a diverse and dynamic environment for learning and making. With a democratic and hands-on approach, students are encouraged to engage in peer-to-peer learning and teaching as they explore, create and innovate.
Growing up in Alaska, I developed a strong reverence and appreciation for wilderness. From a young age, I could observe how I fit in with the larger natural system that surrounded me. It is a humbling experience to see tens of thousands of animals make their annual migration journeys and this awareness has stayed with me throughout my life. Now that I am living in Boston, the connection to observable migrations is less prevalent. Not far from the city center though, the endangered right whale calls Massachusetts Bay home for part of the year using the waters as feeding and calving grounds during their annual migration north. These North Atlantic right whales are currently being monitored through a listening network made up of 13 auto-detection buoys set up through a partnership between the Bioacoustics Research Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. For my final project, I would like create a light installation that would illuminate whenever a buoy detected a whale call, thereby giving a visual sign that whales are in the area and bringing greater awareness to large-scale migrations that occur close to dense, urban environments.
Jessica Metz Fab Academy 2015