Visual Geometries: A Performance by Kite

Oglala Sioux artist Kite (Dr. Suzanne Kite) presents an immersive, improvisational performance that bridges sound, image, and technology, inspired by George Morrison’s Collage × Landscape, on view in Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time. Accompanied by musicians, Kite arranges wooden blocks into a mosaic-like graphic score—an experimental form of music notation—guided by stories that emerged from her dreams. The result is a spontaneous interplay of visual composition and live sound, echoing Morrison’s approach to abstraction and place. The performance will be followed by a discussion and audience Q&A.

Dr. Suzanne Kite is a performance artist, visual artist, and composer recognized for her pioneering research in computational media. She is the Director of Wihanble S’a Center for Indigenous AI and a Distinguished Artist in Residence and Assistant Professor of American and Indigenous Studies at Bard College. An enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, she holds a BFA from CalArts, an MFA from Bard College, and a PhD in Fine Arts from Concordia University. Her work spans interactive sculptures, video and sound installations, and experimental lectures, all grounded in Lakȟóta ways of making knowledge.

Kite’s practice draws from Lakȟóta ontologies, exploring kindred collaborations between Indigenous knowledge, artificial intelligence, and experimental sound. She is known for her groundbreaking work integrating machine learning into performance and has collaborated with groups such as the Silk Road Ensemble and Third Coast Percussion. Her work has been featured at the Hammer Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in the 2024 Biennial.

Supported in part by the Anita K. Hersh Philanthropic Foundation, Freedom View Foundation, and Ellen Kozak.

Photo: Tatcher Keats.