City of Miami Beach presents “No Vacancy” _ [dNASAb] x Betsy Hotel “Orb” _ 2024

The City of Miami Beach, in collaboration with the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, is pleased to announce the 2024 edition of “No Vacancy”, Miami Beach. “No Vacancy” 2024 marks the program’s fifth edition presenting 12 artists creating site-specific works at 12 iconic Miami Beach hotels. The installations will be on view from November 14 through December 12, 2024.

https://www.mbartsandculture.org/no-vacancy/

Artist Statement: “Faux Ecologies + Augmented Visions of the Micro-verse”

In “Faux Ecologies + Augmented Visions of the Micro-verse”, I delve into the hidden world of microplastics and microorganisms, using AI-assisted filmmaking to visualize their intricate, often unseen interactions. This installation, created for the No Vacancy project by the City of Miami Beach for Art Basel 2024 and centered around “The Orb” at The Betsy Hotel, transforms the spherical form of the structure into a dynamic, translucent water droplet that reveals an imagined ecosystem at a microscopic scale.

By projecting a see-through, slide-like animation onto “The Orb,” I create the illusion of peering through a microscope, where reclaimed plastics merge with krill, plankton, and other microorganisms. This hybrid ecosystem blends elements of both the natural and synthetic, derived from sculptures I’ve crafted from reclaimed plastic waste and then transformed into AI-generated life forms. The organisms—both real and fabricated—appear to coexist in this visualized drop of water, illustrating how pollution subtly alters the natural world and reshapes marine ecosystems.

The film’s animation is driven by AI models trained on my sculptures, bringing an organic fluidity to this imagined micro-verse. The result is a surreal, hyper-detailed exploration of life on an invisible scale, where the boundaries between living organisms and plastic debris blur. This work raises critical questions about the environmental impact of plastic waste on even the most fundamental levels of life, challenging viewers to confront the far-reaching consequences of human pollution.

In addition to the visual storytelling, the film is punctuated by “Environmental Infomercials”, a series of kinetic typography animations that deliver educational messages. These commercial-style interventions are designed to raise awareness about the environmental crisis, continuing my media hacktivism and ad-busting practice. Through these eco-conscious storytelling strategies, the infomercials critique greenwashing while delivering direct, thought-provoking content that engages viewers in a deeper reflection on the state of our planet.

Faux Ecologies + Augmented Visions of the Micro-verse not only explores the fragility of marine ecosystems but also pushes the boundaries of environmental storytelling through cutting-edge technology. By integrating film, sculpture, AI, and interactive media, this project offers a unique, immersive experience that invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with nature and the invisible impacts of human activity on our environment.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE _Oct. 30, 2024

2024 Installment of No Vacancy, Miami Beach on Display from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12

— 12 artists will exhibit one-of-a-kind art projects and installations at area hotels with $35,000 in prize money up for grabs during Art Week Miami Beach —

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach, in collaboration with the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA) and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), is pleased to announce the return of No Vacancy, Miami Beach — a juried art competition that supports and celebrates local artists, provokes critical discourse and encourages the public to experience Miami Beach’s famed hotels as art destinations. For the fifth edition of the competition, No Vacancy, Miami Beach 2024 will include 12 participating artists and collectives that will present site-specific works at 12 different hotels around Miami Beach. The works will be displayed from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12.

Each selected artist or collective will receive $10,000 to create an installation at an assigned hotel. Participants were selected from an open call for submissions issued by the city and by representatives from the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Committee, Cultural Arts Council and MBVCA.

For the fifth iteration, two artists will be awarded a combined total of $35,000 in prizes. One will receive a $10,000 public prize from the GMCVB and the other will be awarded a $25,000 juried prize from a panel of art world professionals.

Participating Hotels and Projects No Vacancy, Miami Beach 2024:

• Avalon Hotel: Miami Artist Julia Zurilla presents “— .. .- .– -..- (MIA WX),” a multimedia project that combines experimental videos and circular photographs, juxtaposing images from past and present that explore nostalgia and contemporary environmental realities. The installation layout is arranged in Morse code, a visual system composed of dashes, dots and spaces that is also known as “the lifesaving language.” This project reflects both the urgency of climate communication and the adaptability of the installation, allowing any word associated with the project’s theme to be expressed and tailored to various spaces.
• The Betsy Hotel: Artist [dNASAb] presents “Faux Ecologies + Augmented Visions of the Micro-verse,” an AI-assisted film that dives into the unseen world of microplastics and microorganisms and explores their hidden interactions. This installation transforms the spherical form of the structure into a dynamic, translucent water droplet, revealing an intricate, fictional ecosystem at a microscopic scale. “Faux Ecologies + Augmented Visions of the Micro-verse” serves as both a meditation on the fragility of our environment and an experimental use of cutting-edge technology to bring new dimensions of environmental storytelling to life.
• Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club: Artist Marielle Plaisir presents “Rhapsody for a Beloved World.” Through a multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach, Plaisir strives to resist harmful histories and offers hope for a better future. Plaisir draws attention to the interconnections between humans, the universality of fractured identities and the power of recognizing and describing inner worlds. Plaisir’s socially engaged works transcend temporal and cultural boundaries, serving as visual meditations on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The color-drenched collage features elaborate compositions of elements, combining intricate botanical images of lush foliage with salvaged vintage black and white photographs as well as elements of landscape paintings.
• The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club: Artist Joshua Aronson presents the site specific installation, “Florida Boys,” featuring the photograph “Spring “(2023–2024). The translucent fabric allows daylight to pass through, transforming the photograph into a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. As air circulates in the lobby, the suspended artwork gently moves, creating a living, evolving presence that shifts with the changing light throughout the day. “Spring” depicts a serene moment of young men floating in a Florida spring, a scene that speaks to themes of unity, tranquility, and the expansive nature of modern masculinity. Set in Miami Beach, the installation resonates with the city’s unique convergence of natural beauty and urban vibrancy, while also nodding to its legacy as a haven for queer culture. The subtle interaction of the photograph with its environment invites viewers into a contemplative space, echoing the rhythmic pace of the city while offering moments of quiet reflection and connection.
• Esmé Miami Beach: Artist collaborative We Are Nice’n Easy’s “Soft Squeeze” represents a site-specific artwork rooted in the dynamic interplay between nature and culture inherent to South Florida. With a focus on public projects within its practice, Nice’n Easy believes in the transformative power of public art and works to elevate Miami’s cultural identity. This playful creation, however seemingly compressed, creates a visual tension that highlights the clash and fusion of natural and cultural elements. As viewers move around and underneath the artwork, the recognizable shapes shift and merge, creating an ever-evolving visual narrative that reflects the fluidity and complexity of Miami’s subtropical environment. This work not only captures the playful spirit of Miami Beach but also prompts deeper reflection on how cultural artifacts and natural habitats coexist and influence one another.
• Faena Hotel: Artist Magnus Sodamin’s “Reflections of our Environment” offers lush, nature-inspired treatment that explores changing global narratives through spiritual inquiry and spontaneous creativity. Sodamin’s process is cathartic and vigorous, resulting in work that reflects the beauty of the natural world while exploring the states of climate and environment. His vibrant works are full of energetic gestures that are both joyful and turbulent, indicative of the artist’s passionate sense of awe and quiet reverence for nature.
• Hotel Croydon: Artist Dennis Scholl’s work “Untitled (Dodecagon Drawing Grid), 2024” comes across as an obsessive drawing practice. Scholl is interested in the dodecagon 12-sided figure and uses it as an organizing principle in his practice. This presentation consists of up to 100 unique dodecagon drawings shown in a grid. The dodecagon reminds us of the hours on a clock, months in a year or signs of the zodiac — in essence the passage of time.
• International Inn on the Bay: Artist Asser Saint-Val’s “Aquatic Incursion-MHEDRAYNGT” is a series of amorphous air sculptural installations that integrate into the architecture of South Beach. These organic, sea life-inspired structures create a surreal, otherworldly aesthetic that contrasts with the iconic art deco buildings of the city. The sculptures appear to invade the familiar built environment, generating a captivating interplay between manmade and the sea. The organic forms of the sculptures are inspired by the ongoing discourse around sea level rise and the encroachment of sea life into urban spaces. The underwater quality of these sculptural installations are designed to evoke a sense of wonder prompting viewers to reflect on the delicate balance between human activities as the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
• Kimpton Surfcomber: Artist Adler Guerrier’s ”Untitled (objects, landscape, and things. At the still point of mottled formations and a scruple of compassion)” presents a network of images, places and haunts as the broad errant reaches of here. The work builds on relations to the ways we shape public space, embellish the lived environment within various abstractions, botanicals and sentiments while insisting on expanded views of the commons.
• Kimpton Palomar Hotel: Artist GeoVanna Gonzalez presents “Moving Interlude.” Inspired by the theories of sociologist Henri Lefebvre, Gonzalez’s work investigates the intersection of urban design, cultural values and spatial justice. Gonzalez explores how elements of urban architecture can inadvertently perpetuate social inequalities through exclusionary designs, such as antisocial architecture, which subtly controls behavior and restricts movement.
• Royal Palm South Beach: Artist Philip Lique, presents “YOU ARE HERE,” an interactive installation that serves as an homage to the commonly seen wayfinding maps in public spaces. The work offers a chance to recalibrate one’s own spatial and contemplative awareness. The artist aims to engage hotel guests through design, sculpture and cultural programming by intervening in an often overlooked architectural element — the floor. “YOU ARE HERE” reassigns the lobby’s purpose — offering a scale shift for guests to consider as they orient themselves within either a single building, city block, Miami Beach and beyond.
• Sherry Frontenac Hotel: Artist Patricia Cooke’s “Anodyne” praises the healing power of South Florida’s mangrove systems. Mangroves are a crucial facet of the South Florida landscape. Their complicated root systems provide filtration and distribution for both fresh and saltwater, as well as acting as attachment sites to marine organisms that filter water with their bodies — a double source of healing. The quilts of “Anodyne” strive to recreate the unique view of both roots disappearing under the water’s surface and the menagerie tangle of the roots themselves. The use of calming pastel colors supports a similar calming experience of kayaking or canoeing through the mangroves, offering a sense of tranquility knowing that these ancient trees are hard at work protecting and healing our world.

Funding for this project is provided by the City of Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority as well as the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. For additional information, please visit mbartsandculture.org.

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About the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Committee

The Art in Public Places Committee is a seven-member City Commission-appointed citizen’s board responsible for the commission and purchase of artwork by contemporary artists in all media. The program allocates funds totaling 2% of hard costs for city projects and joint private/public projects. Funds from construction projects may be aggregated into the Art in Public Places Fund and allocated for artwork at public sites and for collection maintenance.

About the City of Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council

The Cultural Arts Council (CAC) is an 11-member body created in 1997 for the purpose of developing, coordinating and promoting the performing and visual arts in the City of Miami Beach. The CAC serves as arts advocates before governmental bodies, coordinates collective marketing initiatives for the local arts community and funds not-for-profit arts organizations. Since the program’s inception, the CAC has awarded approximately $18 million in cultural arts grants, supporting thousands of performances, exhibits, and other cultural activities in Miami Beach.

About the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA)

The MBVCA is a seven-member authority, appointed by the City of Miami Beach Commission, with the goal of encouraging, developing and promoting the image of Miami Beach locally, nationally and internationally as an outstanding tourist destination. To this end, the MBVCA strategically focuses its funding investments in a balanced manner, fostering outstanding existing programs, stimulating new activities and encouraging partnerships. The MBVCA is committed to a careful, long-term plan for allocation of resources to help Miami Beach thrive as a destination with something for everyone.

About the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau ​​(GMCVB)

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau is an accredited, independent not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami & Miami Beach for leisure, business, meetings and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit our website at www.MiamiandMiamiBeach.com or call 1.888.76.Miami (US/Canada only) or 305.447.7777. To reach the GMCVB offices dial 305.539.3000. Meeting planners may call 1.800.933.8448 (US/Canada only) or 305.539.3071 or visit www.MiamiMeetings.com. To get further engaged with Greater Miami & Miami Beach, join the conversation by following us on our social media channels at Facebook.com/visitmiami, Twitter.com/visitmiami, Instagram.com/visitmiami, TikTok.com/@visitmiami and Pinterest.com/visit_miami.

Press Contact

cityofmiamibeach@culturalcounsel.com.