Liquefaction

About the Item: Collaged Scientific American articles, plaster, acrylic and graphite on handmade wooden panel Artist's Statement: Liquefaction describes the phenomenon whereby a saturated or partially saturated soil sustantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually EARTHQUAKE shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid. BIO BRITNEY PENOUILH (b. New Orleans, LA) is an interdisciplinary artist whose interest in geology and natural environments has greatly influenced her work. In 2010, Penouilh earned a double major Fine Art Studio and Geology from the University of New Orleans. Through university studies in New Orleans, Greece, and Japan and artist residencies in New York, North Carolina, Alaska and California – and her interest in geology, Penouilh’s work connects landscape to ritual, and ties the spiritual realm to the scientific. In 2018-19, Penouilh worked with National Park Services on a residency within the Mojave National Preserve. Penouilh was recently a visiting artist at Pilgrim School in Los Angeles, CA where she taught interdisciplinary art to high school 3-D art students. This program included a geology field trip to collect minerals that students cast into plaster sculptures. Penouilh currently resides in Los Angeles, where she divides her time between teaching and creating art in her downtown studio.