#slumpies

“The sculptor Jillian Mayer has focused on the body engaged with its phone, and for the exhibition provided her “Slumpies” — ergonomically designed for humans to check their Facebook, reply to texts or catch up on emails. Sometimes concave and occasionally perplexing, the fiberglass, acrylic and resin pieces are meant to hold weight and “ease the positions required for device interface.” Visitors are invited to sit on and otherwise interact with these objects, which is part of Mayer’s intention — she believes the interaction based on the “intelligence of the body” is its own performance in tandem with the viewer’s mind’s interaction with a device. Mayer shows how our technological world might shape the physical objects around us.”

-Traversing the digital divide in a modern world

Are you tired from holding up your phone all day? Only one more week left to test drive Jillian Mayer's Slumpies at 125 Maiden Lane!

"I only think that my pieces really make sense if you've seen other ones that kind of contradict them," she says. "Even though I deal with technology and the internet and how humans are affected by that as we go, I do think my work represents a very emotional side, a very human side of that reaction."

-  Miami Artist Jillian Mayer on Slumpies and Her Sundance Film Kaiju Bunraku

"Slumpies may be making fun of our need for constant connection, but Mayer is also calling attention to a genuine problem. So-called “text neck"—pain caused by staring down at a phone—has been recognized a real, and growing, problem by the medical community. As we continue to live increasing portions of our lives online, eyes fixed to a phone or laptop below us, the pressure on our spines mounts. Maybe someday soon there will be a real market for smartphone-optimized furniture. Glitter is definitely a bonus."

- ‘Slumpie’ Furniture Designs for Comfortable Texting

"Mayer’s Slumpies are an ouroboros expressive of this virtual and physical omnipresence. The internet and the art world pass in and out of these bulky, odd, lounge-esque shapes as people engage at once with their phones and the glittery forms they perch upon."

- A VIEW OF MIAMI ART WEEK FROM A SLUMPIE (AND A SMARTPHONE)

Can't make it to New York to see Jillian Mayer's Slumpies at 125 Maiden Lane? You can also catch them at Pérez Art Museum Miami through January 22!