70-Foot Voice-Activated Table Setting Wins ArtPrize Pitch Night in Indianapolis

The third and final $5,000 ArtPrize Pitch Night winner of 2015 was awarded at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Wednesday night.

"Whisper", a 70-foot voice-activated table setting by Emily Kennerk, was the winner and will be featured on the second floor of 250 Monroe at ArtPrize 2015.

Five artists presented their ideas at Pitch Night. Each were given five minutes and five slides to pitch their installation idea for the vacant space at 250 Monroe. The venue will be split in half and shared by the winner of Pitch Night Minneapolis and the winner of Pitch Night Indianapolis.

The judges at Pitch Night Indianapolis were Anila Quayyum Agha, 2014 ArtPrize Public Vote and Juried Grand Prize winner; Mindy Taylor Ross, Owner of Art Strategies; Sarah Urist Green, creator, curator, and host of PBS web series "The Art Assignment"; Scott Stulen, Curator of Audience Experiences and Performance at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Rosanne Winings, Assistant Curator of Audience Experience and Performance at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

“We talked about content but also about how visually it would be stimulating, how it would integrate the audience -- there were multiple things we discussed to come to the final selection,” explained Agha. “Not to say the other artists who participated weren't good. All of them had thought really deeply about the space -- It's sometimes hard during the jury process to find the one person or one project that is going to really work. I hope these people will apply next year again, I would like this project to continue in Indianapolis."

Indianapolis-based sculptor and installation artist Emily Kennerk’s previous work often highlights American suburban life. Kennerk’s proposal for 250 Monroe invites audience participation. A 70-foot-long table will be installed with traditional western table settings, including ceramic plates, bowls and glasses. Two microphones will be attached to the work and will respond to whispers. The whispers will set off a vibration within the oversized table and disrupt the dishes. The table settings will be reset as the work continues throughout ArtPrize.

“Even though this piece is in a high rise and it's removed from the outdoor public, it sounds like it's in the thick of things -- I definitely wanted to respond to that," explained Kennerk. “I’m excited because I've never done a participatory piece, and it's kind of countered to the way I usually work. Initially when I made the prototypes I was wondering 'where am I going to put a 70 foot long table?' but ArtPrize is the perfect place."

ArtPrize 2015 will take place in Grand Rapids, September 23 – October 11.