About this Event
I was early into simulations - which isolated me because I found myself inside one of the most male-dominated spaces in contemporary culture: the world of simulation technologies. Its denizens were mostly ex-military, its technologies built to visualize war games. When I started in 1990, its culture seemed devoid of women. My response was to build a feminist practice inside of that militarized space. My practice is trans-media and spans 3D animation, virtual and augmented reality, performance, illustrated books, and installation. I appropriate Western canonical figures — philosophers, poets, architects, painters — and reinvent their dense and sober languages as theatrical, often dark fantasy worlds. But the rooms I build echo with women’s voices: voices that I also perform, script, and digitally transform. I am mutable and so are computer files — a perfect fit! My themes are serious (techno-ethics, the sociology of simulation, the politics of embodiment), although my methodology is theatrical and allegorical.
Originally trained in art and architectural history at New York University and Columbia University, Claudia Hart began her career in the New York City art scene before transitioning to digital media in the late 1990s. Her historical training remains foundational to her work. Rather than treating technology as detached from the past, Hart situates digital simulation within a long continuum of representation extending from Renaissance perspective and photography to virtual reality and synthetic worlds, examining how digital systems shape perception, embodiment, and ideology. Hart’s artistic practice is distinguished by its feminist and humanist perspective. Her works frequently investigate the representation of female bodies within virtual environments; challenging traditions of objectification embedded in both historical painting and contemporary media systems. Drawing on literary, philosophical, and artistic references ranging from Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Lewis Carroll to Romanticism, Baroque painting, and modernist aesthetics, she transforms canonical cultural forms into immersive digital experiences.
Made possible by the Millicent Greenwell Clapp Studio Art Series Fund, this series invites an artist each quarter for a two-day visit consisting of studio critiques with our MFA students and an evening public lecture. This series continues to provide a dynamic platform for artists to engage with the Stanford community, fostering critical dialogue and creative exploration.
VISITOR INFORMATION
This event is open to Stanford affiliates and the general public. Space for this program is limited; advance registration is recommended. Those who have registered will have priority for seating. Admission is free.
Oshman Hall is located within the McMurtry Building on Stanford campus at 355 Roth Way. Visitor parking is available in designated areas and is free after 4pm on weekdays. Alternatively, take the Caltrain to Palo Alto Transit Center and hop on the free Stanford Marguerite Shuttle. If you need a disability-related accommodation or wheelchair access information, please contact Julianne White at [email protected].
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Event venue & nearby stays
Oshman Hall, McMurtry Building, 355 Roth Way, Stanford, United States
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