SYNAPTIC RELAY, 2026

steel, bolts, memory, biometrics, illumination, wire, switchboard

70 × 36 in.

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Suspended in a future that does not yet exist, nestled in a possible reality, this piece suspends the initial use of the building into the future. What will the next generations of fire, emergency response, civic duty, and communications look like?

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Red light glows from behind, a machine pulsing with signals, like a digital synapse system; responding to pain. Groupings of organic shapes cling to the metal mesh frame, and glow as if integrated with the technology itself. This work suspends the connection between the use of digital technology, and the language of emergency medical system to the body and brain. This site connects our civic emergency response system, with the modern tools we use to communicate, to the physical problems we face, like our health and safety. “Is this the future we wish to live in, is this this the future we are building?”

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Synaptic Relay calls on the layout of the site itself, drawing on the design of function. Playing between an imagined future and a historical past, the language and systems of emergency response mimic the very systems that respond to pain in the body. Derived from Dutch ancestry, "de Boer" meaning "of the farm" or "of the land," embodies a commitment to exploring environmental themes rooted in historical representation and identity. Her artistic practice revolves around the convergence of the human condition, environmentalism, and abstract experimentation. Through the accumulation of tactile layers and abstract forms, her work serves as a pathway to introspection; challenging conventional notions of identity through physical and conceptual deconstructionism.

Ember de Boer is a multidisciplinary artist who is driven by a passion for sustainable and ethically critical art, employing a range of mediums, from traditional techniques like steel and metal, to innovative technologies like light, sound, and industrial lasers. Based in Northern California, Ember is an award-winning artist whose studio serves as a fabrication hub and creative oasis focused on developing community sustainability and resources. Over the past decade, Ember has honed her craft, enriching her studio practice while acquiring fabrication skills in blue-collar warehouses.

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With a diverse background as a business owner, a non-profit co-founder of Community Shop Class, an arts administrator for organizations like City of Sacramento and Friends of Sacramento Arts, and many years in fabrication and skilled trades, de Boer has expanded the boundaries of artists' role and challenges the function of living artists through her cross-sector work and collaborations. She is in the collections of Robert T. Matsui Gallery, Applied Materials, Johnson County Community College, and Lenexa City Hall. An alumna of CSU-Sacramento, Johnson County Community College, and the Kansas City Art Institute, where she cultivated her artistic prowess.

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@emberdeboer | emberdeboer.com