Lisa Park (artist)

Lisa Park (born 1987) is a Korean-American artist and a full-time lecturer in the Fine Arts & Design department of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. She has previously resided in both New York City and Seoul but is currently based in Philadelphia, United States.

Park is known for creating works that utilize sensor technologies like biofeedback devices and touch sensors to create audio-visual installations and performances. Her practice revolves around exploring technology as a tool to emphasize the significance of human connections in the digital age.

Early life and education
Lisa Park was born in Boston, United States, but spent her formative years being raised in Seoul, South Korea. She earned her BFA degree with early graduation in Fine Arts from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Additionally, she holds a MPS degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Career
Her notable works include "Eunoia" and "Eunoia II," which are interactive installation and performance pieces where the artist utilizes a brainwave sensor to visualize real-time pools of water based on her thoughts.

On her official website, Park mentions that she "has been working with biofeedback devices (heart rate sensors, commercial brainwave headsets) to display auditory and visual representations of physiological measurements. These performances explored the possibilities of self-monitoring her physical and psychological states." This was done by using electroencephalography (E.E.G.) data to create sound-waves which were pushed through pools of water, causing them to ripple. Park sat in the center of the pools as this occurred. For Eunoia, Park separated the E.E.G. data into five emotions, each of which fed into one of five pools of water. For Eunoia II, she expanded her conception of brain activity to cover forty-eight pools of water, matching the forty-eight emotions described by philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Also, while Park strove to control her emotions in Eunoia in order to keep the pools of water still, she changed her approach in Eunoia II to focus on expressing emotions.

Another installation piece, titled "Blooming," was commissioned by Nokia Bell Labs and supported by New Museum's NEW INC. This interactive audiovisual installation features a life-sized digital cherry blossom tree that blossoms in real-time in response to participants' skin-to-skin contact. Park's official website explains that the cherry blossom tree symbolizes social connections and the transient nature of life in East Asian culture. She conveys the significance of this piece by stating, "When a cherry blossom tree flourishes, as it does in 'Blooming,' it is a reminder of human relationships at their peak."

Awards and fellowships
Park was the recipient of a 2014 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship

Park was a member at the New Museum's by-application-only incubator, NEW INC, from 2015 to 2017. Park was selected to be an artist-in-residence at Nokia Bell Labs in 2017 as part of their Experiments in Art and Technology residency program with NEW INC. As part of the residency, Park was commissioned to create, "Blooming," which was featured in the exhibition Only Human at Mana Contemporary in May 2017 and written up in Wired. Blooming was an official selection of SXSW Art in 2019.

Academic profession
In Spring 2023, Park served as an adjunct professor at Hongik University's College of Design & Arts, where she was honored with the distinguished "Faculty Teaching Award" for her teaching and contributions to her students. Hongik University bestows this award upon select faculty members each semester, honoring their dedication and commitment to excellence in education.

From the Fall semester of 2023, Park has been a lecturer within the Fine Arts & Design department at the University of Pennsylvania, guiding students to navigate the convergence of art, technology, and design in an ever-evolving global landscape.