I remember when I was 6, my father came home one day excited to show us a new video sharing site - YouTube. From that point forward, the internet was a fundamental part of my childhood. My weavings are explorations of the complicated relationships we all have with the worldwide web, told firsthand from my own experiences in the 2000s internet. I am fascinated by the multifaceted nature of the internet - it is both a tool, and an environment with its own culture. While the internet at first glance is just a mechanical system of code, it is first and foremost a testament to human effort and input. Our own desire to connect with other people is what keeps these online spaces alive.
A constant source of inspiration in my work is how these online spaces have completely changed in just a few years. What was once a wild west of information and user-created content has become increasingly corporate and monetized. Not only does this limit how accessible the internet is, but it diminishes the importance of creativity and denies people the independence they used to have with their web-bound spaces. I find myself dreaming of those old online spaces and what an internet outside the constraints of capitalism could look like.
My weavings serve as an archive of the internet I used to know. By imitating the web through malleable cloth, I can call back to centuries-old, preserved textiles, creating the feeling of both importance and transience around these seemingly trivial bits of online human interaction. The methodical and slow process of weaving forces me to sit with these images of the internet, giving me time to question how online spaces have impacted me, past and present. My woven work creates a space of reflection to recognize the ways that the internet has shaped our interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.
Lowell Zelenka is a transgender fibers artist whose practice is focused in weaving, quilting, and soft sculpture. He grew up in Chicago, and moved to Baltimore to study illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Upon discovering textile arts, he fell in love with craft and switched majors, graduating in Fiber in the fall of 2021. During his time at MICA, Lowell ran the MICA Quilt Group alongside professor Susie Brandt, which operated remotely during COVID. Quilts that the group made during the pandemic have been exhibited at the Julio Fine Arts Gallery in Maryland, Lake George Arts Project in New York, and Praxis Fiber Workshop in Cleveland. Lowell was named a Windgate-Lamar fellow in 2022 by the Center for Craft for his double cloth weavings exploring internet archival and outdated websites. In his recent work, he continues these explorations through woven recreations of internet spaces. Lowell is currently based in Chicago.