Inflating a Chat Room: Dan Steinhilber's Interactive Artwork

In preparation for tonight’s Phillips after 5, DC-based artist Dan Steinhilber visited the museum yesterday to test out his interactive Interface artwork in the galleries. 

Steinhilber’s work, which was recently featured at G Fine Art, invites visitors to enter into the piece and create a unique experience for themselves and other participants. Comprising five inflatable, bag-like sculptures (made from plastic stretch wrap, wood, and computer fans), Interface is a riff on our addiction to the Internet, instant yet remote communication, and virtual reality. The wearable aspect of these works­—visitors insert their “talking-heads” inside the sculptures while their hands remain outside—offers an estranged and disembodied experience.