Finn: You’ve studied the environment on every scale, including the microscopic for World Within, where you worked with Tim McClean [Microbiologist at Tulane University] putting water samples under the microscope to make these surreal, abstract works. Who initiated that collaboration?
Pippin: That was A Studio in the Woods, which is a New Orleans-based residency for artists and scientists to work together [located on an eight-acre site of endangered woodland on the Mississippi River bank]. I just found out yesterday that I received their newest version of that residency, called FATHOM: Volume I, so I’m going to be working for a year with a couple different scientific groups creating a series of installations and art pieces about the relationship in Louisiana between the mockingbird and lead exposure.

Finn: Tell me about that.
Pippin: There ’s been a number of recent studies into mockingbirds which have uncovered that abnormally high lead content in New Orleans’ soil is changing the behaviour of mockingbirds, who become more aggressive and change their songs. So it’s about the birds and it’s about the lead but it’s also the canary in the coal mine where it’s warning us of larger environmental issues facing Louisiana.

Finn: Last year you had your solo show, Cancelled Edition, at CAC. Aside from putting on exhibitions how does the CAC support the New Orleans artistic community?
Pippin: New Orleans is a relatively easy place to get started as an artist. There’s a lot of art markets and little ways you can make money, but because there’s only really the CAC, The Ogden and then the New Orleans Art Museum, there are very few opportunities to break into the larger, national art market. The CAC provides more of that opportunity than anywhere else in New Orleans. The Ogden has an Open Call, but the CAC does that and has big shows for local, emerging artists from New Orleans, in addition to doing the kind of Louisiana Open Call shows. Andrea [Andersson – Chief Curator of Visual Arts at New Orleans’ Contemporary Arts Center], is willing to take risks with emerging New Orleans artists and give them that really important first step. You need someone to take a risk in order to elevate you to a platform where the rest of the nation can look at your work.

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