Kelly Heaton


Kelly Heaton believes that electricity is the most important medium of our time. Inspired by Nikola Tesla, she contemplates the universe in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration. Her life-like circuits generate waveforms that we hear as birdsong, crickets, and other natural phenomena — thus challenging our definition of “nature” and suggesting electronics to be an emergent form of life. Heaton also maintains a conceptual art practice through which she responds to evolving trends in technology, culture, environment and, more recently, the blockchain. Heaton’s art offers playful and profound insight into humanity’s growing symbiosis with machine intelligence. Her practice spans more than twenty years, including multiple solo exhibitions, awards, and residencies. She is the author of several patents in data visualization and founder of the Virginia Perfume Company. Heaton received her Bachelor of Art from Yale University and her Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.