Kelli Anderson

Artist, Designer, Animator, and Tinkerer

Kelli Anderson is an artist, designer, animator, and tinkerer who pushes the limits of ordinary materials by seeking out possibilities hidden in plain view. Her books and projects have included This Book Is a Planetarium (which houses a tiny planetarium and other scientific contraptions), a book that transforms into a pinhole camera called This Book Is a Camera, and a working paper record. Intentionally lo-fi, she believes that humble materials can make the complexity and magic of our world accessible. A longtime collaborator with the activist group the Yes Men, together they created and distributed a meticulously counterfeited copy of the New York Times—filled only with only good news from a utopian future—for which they won an Ars Electronica Prix Award of Distinction. She is also known for her design, animation, and illustration work for NPR, The New Yorker, Wired, MoMA, Pentagram, Tinybop’s award-winning Human Body app, and the real New York Times, as well as her redesign of NYC brands such as Russ & Daughters and Momofuku. She has been an artist in residence at Adobe and the Exploratorium. She occasionally teaches at the School for Poetic Computation and the New School in NYC.

About The presentation

How Does Light Work?


In 1970, artist Bob Miller began his popular “Light Walk” in and around San Francisco’s Exploratorium. Using only a piece of paper with a hole in it as an interface, he led visitors through a series of demonstrations that transformed their most fundamental beliefs about the materiality of light in the world around them.Together we will “walk” through Bob’s demonstrations to reveal the surprising (and frequently shocking) nature and tendencies of light. We will also build a paper solar eclipse theater (which you can then use to view or film the eclipse.) Keep them forever in your pocket to remind yourself that even the most mundane aspects of the world are strange and magical. Grab your packet from the Big Star Bandshell Pavillion before the presentation!

Monday, April 8th
12pm-12:45pm