About the Artist

I come from a TV & Media Background where I’ve held a lot of different Titles, like a Motion Designer, Art Director, Producer, Editor, and CD, Production & Set Design.

But the work I’m most proud of the the work that earned me the moniker of “Crazy Lady who travels with Mannequins,” which refers to a 20 year Photography Project of mine, that eventually became a Doc film u can see on AMZ.

I'm here at ITP to expand my ability to make work that connects with people.

I try to use a combination of audacity and relatability in how I work. I play with my own sense of Self and Identity.  I believe that the Self is the point of origin for cultural change. From there it spreads.

I’ve spent the better part of 20 years, creating wildly outrageous scenes, in photographs and film, portraying my “Self” living the Life society’s deemed the perfect image of success.  By being humorous and also relatable, I’m able to get others to see, not only my face, but their own, grappling with it’s absurdity. 

This work went viral. I didn’t see it coming. I was blown away by all of the personal outreach from people, who told me how my message had such an impact on them. Until this happened, I’d never realized the power and ability I had to connect with people all over the world, as a result of relating a universal truth, using my own voice.

It left me with an emboldened desire to create work that not only commands attention, but also provokes thought and motivates action, or at least a paradigm shift.  Put simply, I care deeply about reaching people.

These personal experiences, paired with my background in design & media and in this next phase, I want to delve deeply into the technical side of what drives this work, to understand it, concept and design for it.   

I chose to return to study at NYU's ITP in order to expand my conceptual and technical proficiencies to build exigent interactive experiences that go beyond a 16x9 screen to reach people. All for the purpose of having a more active and impactful role in the future of interactive experiences as it relates to cultural intelligence and the human experience. 

Artist Site: suzanneheintz.com

PROJECT STATEMENT: RETHINKING THE HERD