Liz Laner

A wood version of "X" will be located inside the Edith O'Donnell Arts and Technology Building, and later, a stainless steel version will be placed in a courtyard.

Two sculptures will soon adorn the newly opened Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building.

The pieces were commissioned by the Nasher Sculpture Center for the museum’s 10th anniversary, citywide exhibition Nasher XChange, which runs Oct. 19 to Feb. 16.

Liz Larner, a Los Angeles-based artist, has created two versions of a piece titled, X, for the Nasher XChange. The sculptures will offer a glimpse into the process of making art. A wood version of the work, which will be located inside the O'Donnell Building, embodies the intersection of traditional sculpture media and new technology, and will be on view throughout the run of the exhibition. That version will arrive on campus on Saturday. A mirrored, stainless steel version that is designed for the building’s courtyard will be unveiled in November.

Nasher XchangeCelebration for Artwork
Installation planned Saturday

On Saturday, join representatives from the Nasher Sculpture Center, along with students and faculty from the ATEC program, to welcome the new art installation. The Nasher will provide pizza and a photo booth to celebrate.

During the celebration, the Nasher will host a social media meetup. Participants will be asked to finish the sentence, “The future is X…” by posting to Twitter, Instagram and Vine with the hashtag #XChangeFuture.

The event begins at 12:30 p.m. at the new Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building. Parking is available off University Parkway in Lot F in front of the Visitor Center or in Lot M by the Naveen Jindal School of Management.

Edith O’Donnell ATEC
Building Celebrated

The X-shape of the sculpture was described by Larner as continuing “an investigation into the open form and the use of line to create volume.” The piece has been developed over several years and was created with digital modeling technology.

“Larner’s work is a wonderful example of the intersection between new technologies and the traditional, three-dimensional sculptural form,” said Bonnie Pitman, distinguished scholar in residence at UT Dallas. “Larner’s experience of incorporating technology into her work made this pairing a natural fit with the Arts and Technology (ATEC) program.”

Larner has relied heavily on technology in the past, as with 2001, a Public Art Fund commission, that used 3-D animation programs and computer modeling to create intersecting cubical and spherical forms. The work also showcased a hyper-iridescent paint made up of laser-cut particles.

Larner has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago; and the Galleri Nordanstad-Skarstedt in Stockholm.

The Nasher XChange exhibit includes nine other works from various artists at different locations around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Details, including the locations of the installations, can be found on the Nasher’s website.