Since COVID-19 began, numbers have been obfuscated to downplay the severity of the pandemic and to excuse inaction. Number Crunchers is Bay Area sculptor Shannon Wright’s response to the confounding, shape-shifting quality of the data and vital information being delivered to–and withheld from–the public on any given day.

Phrases, whether read or overheard, often inspire ideas for Wright’s work, particularly when they contain nuanced contradictions. “Number crunching” is a catchphrase that epitomizes the contemporary impulse to reduce complex issues to simple economic formulas. This phrase summoned for Wright an image of scissoring, hinged contraptions–a visual pun of sorts. Constructed from a few hundred wooden yardsticks, the sculptural objects in Number Crunchers are inspired by scissor-lift cranes and mechanical linkage systems. Although each structure is presented in a single position, each can be adjusted to expand or shrink. The yardsticks overtly reference “social distancing” tropes, while the layered configurations suggest a cacophony of information and misinformation.

Shock and incredulity are often idea generators for Wright– but she aims to imbue each piece with an elegant internal logic, no matter what the provocation for the piece. While Number Crunchers is a response to chaos and hubris, Wright hopes that the piece will also emanate a mathematical serenity within the glass walls and dappled light of the Art Kiosk.

Number Crunchers was made during the shelter-in-place months of 2020, using processes tailored specifically to the unique limitations of this time.