Research in the Interdisciplinary Arts: Johannes Barfield Talks Soft Crash
October 29, 2026
An interdisciplinary artist and researcher in the UNM Honors College, Johannes Barfield, sat down with Cameron Goeldner, host of It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science, to chat about his Soft Crash exhibition currently on display in Philadelphia, how research is part of his artistic process and his road to both art and UNM.
Listen to Season 4, Episode #4 of It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science
Curated by Stephanie J. Woods, Soft Crash is Tiger Strikes Asteroid’s contribution to Collective Futures, featuring new work by Johannes, combining illustrations, sound, and sculpture. Johannes' sonic painting centers on a speculative science-fiction narrative about a former archaeologist returning looted artifacts in a world shaped by a dying sun and portal technology. Through layered soundscapes, tactile materials, and speculative storytelling, Soft Crash explores themes of cultural restitution, ecological urgency, and radical imagination. This project proposes a future shaped collectively through acts of repair.
