Kimberlee Koym-Murteira


Shadows of the Delta
a modern interactive shadowplay highlighting the problems of the San Joaquin Delta
 
Artist Statement
 
I collect materials around the house, Ziploc bags, cereal bag liners, plastic bottles and glass jars. I fill these containers with various liquids that bubble, ooze and/or stagnate.  Using my video camera and projector, I coax these everyday objects to become something more, heightening their dimension into the realm of fairytale. I began this process by projecting video through a plastic bottle filled with water.  Moving the bottle around I enlarged and distorted the image sending fragments of the imagery and shimmers of water rippling around the room. I find myself continually drawn back to this action, repeating this experiment in various formats, using anything from baby food jars to cereal bags, and resulting in small objects and full-scale installations.
 
For the Delta Waters show, I hand this process of creation over to the gallery visitor, inviting them to create their own shadowplay. I invite viewers to play with controlling light and shadows by holding household objects in front of a video projector showing documentary style footage of the Delta. As I ask gallery goers to physically enter the work and become an active controller of the image shown, I hope that they also carefully consider the story unfolding in front of them and their role in the larger dialogue of water issues. 

Fascinated by the exchange of energy and toxic substances people share with each other and the world around them, Kimberlee Koym-Murteira explores the permeability of physical and psychological boundaries—with a focus on resiliency and translucency. She reflects on how technology intersects our lives and the pace of society imprints a toll on individuals. Her installations are composed of interactive machines, kinetic sculptures, videos and studies of natural phenomena, enticing the viewer to rethink ideas of the home, reuse, toxicity, availability, activity, and beauty. 

Originally from San Antonio,Texas, Koym-Murteira now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. In Northern California, she has shown her work at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Mission 17, and Sonoma State University, the Invisible Venue, and The Lab. In Europe, her work has been shown in Portugal, France, Germany, and Bosnia. She earned her MFA in Art from Mills College and holds a MA in Scenography from Central St. Martins College of Art & Design, London. She is currently teaching at Diablo Valley College.