Macropolis: A Short Interview with Lane Hall and Lisa Moline
August 2004
Question
How do you define "Macropolis"?
Answer
We often work with “micro/macro” scale shifts and imagery derived from pseudo-scientific technologies. Macro refers to things observable with the unaided eye, but suggests that such things are often overlooked. “Macropolis” is a constructed word referring to these things within an ever-increasing urban environment. We are particularly interested in species and specimens that are found within this urban context. But the word also suggests a saturation point of urbanization -- a process of urban spread and sprawl that is forcing constant redefinition of our “urban/natural” construct.
Question
How does the Macropolis imagery relate to the MMoCA construction site, or to Madison and urban settings generally?
Answer
We are working with specimens collected in both Madison and Milwaukee, as our interests are always rooted locally. We are also deriving “slogans” from Internet viruses and spam ‘filter-jamming’ texts hidden within many email messages. While none of these sources specifically deals with construction sites, we have chosen image and text relationships that suggest change, sustainability, and both natural and civic processing cycles. In a sense, we are creating indirect political documents that index the kinds of processes that great cities are built upon. Mostly, we hope that the pieces communicate a general mandate to “observe the overlooked.” And of course, as artists and designers, we are interested in creating compelling visual artifacts.
Question
Is there anything you'd like to say about your time in Madison and your connection to the city?
Answer
We went to graduate school in Madison and met in Madison, and have been collaborating ever since. By happenstance, we ended up living and working in Milwaukee. It has been great to have an ongoing relationship with MMoCA and Madison in general.