bio + statement
In my practice, I examine the ways that textiles and images structure themselves, and then compare them to a wider range of biological and chemical processes. My work invents an alternative ecological framework that reflects upon the poetics of these connections. Woven, knit, and crocheted objects encode biological data akin to cellular growth or DNA, while bioplastics and found objects reference the effects of time and memory. Related drawings reflect the up-close observation involved with understanding these systems. With a focus on material exploration, these bio-domestic objects exist to offer a perspective on the relationships of human/nonhuman, object/being, and science/love.Maddie Olsen is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in Dallas, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2023. She is also an alumnus of the Biodesign Challenge, where her collaborative research project, Mother Nacre, received the Glass Microbe Award at the Biodesign Challenge Summit in 2023. Most recently, she completed Fabricademy, a globally distributed course that blends research and making across textiles, science, and technology. She has shown her work at MICA, Baltimore Clayworks, and the MIT Media Lab, and has presented her creative research at Parsons School of Design, MoMA in New York, and Waag Futurelab in Amsterdam. In Spring 2027, she will be an AiR at the Vermont Studio Center.