Episode 954: Heather Mekkelson

download

This week on Bad at Sports, Brian Andrews and Ryan Peter Miller sit down with Chicago artist Heather Mekkelson to discuss her recent paired exhibitions, Bass Note at 65GRAND and Snare at Boundary.

Across two installations separated by nearly sixteen miles of Chicago, Mekkelson transforms obsolete communication technologies into sprawling sculptural environments wrapped in jute. The conversation explores technological obsolescence, archaeology, sound, labor, environmental extraction, analog nostalgia, artistic trust, and the strange afterlives of the materials we leave behind.

From bog-preserved artifacts and ancient spears to dead HDMI cables and power distribution boxes, Mekkelson traces the resonances between human invention and human consequence.

Name Drops and links

Heather Mekkelson — https://www.heathermekkelson.com/
65GRAND — https://www.65grand.com/
Boundary — https://www.boundarychicago.space/
Clacton Spear — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clacton_Spear
Ancient Danish Corded Skirt (Egtved Girl context) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egtved_Girl

• Author
• Recent Posts

Christopher Hudgens

Operations Manager at Bad at Sports

Christopher Hudgens is the Operations Manager for BaS and works in various other capacities for other organizations in the Chicago Art & Culture scene. Most recently as Business Operations Manager for the Bridge Art Fair and currently an advocate for all things art & technology.

Latest posts by Christopher Hudgens (see all)

• Episode 954: Heather Mekkelson - June 22, 2026
• Episode 953: George Scheer - June 18, 2026
• Episode 952: Tali Halpern - June 15, 2026