David Schafer

David Schafer is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Fine Art at Art Center College of Design, where he has taught since 1998 and founded the Sound Lab in 2015. He has also previously taught at Otis College of Design, CalArts, USC, Rutgers, Parsons, SVA, Cooper Union, and Cornell University, reflecting a broad academic engagement across major art institutions.

His research and artistic practice span sculpture, sound, digital media, and conceptual art, with a focus on the ideological structures of the built environment, collective memory, and the impact of data and AI on identity. He investigates how capitalism, patriarchy, and consumerism shape cultural amnesia and social behavior through installations that merge industrial materials with sonic and digital elements.

Recent works like Displayer and Binary Complex critically examine AI-generated identity, surveillance, and data commodification, often using fabricated steel structures, signage, and algorithmic content. His sound works, such as Tonal Duet and Four Letters to Mahler, translate historical and textual material into immersive audio experiences, performed in galleries and curated events internationally.

David Schafer has received significant recognition including the NEA Award in Sculpture and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award. His work has been featured in major publications such as ArtForum, Art in America, NY Times, and The New Yorker.

He has advised numerous students through studio courses and lab development, though no specific advisees are listed. He has secured public art commissions such as the One Percent for the Arts project at Huntington Hospital, and his work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including performances at Human Resources, Roulette, and Studio10. The Sound Lab he founded serves as a hub for experimental sound research, workshops, and collaborative events.

His work has been included in curated radio programs in Lisbon, Paris, and Berlin, and he continues to produce new works up to 2025, such as DEI Training Series and Reflected Terrain, indicating active and ongoing creative and academic engagement.