Over the past few weeks I’ve been able to attend several events around the city that have cultural significance in relation to my Digital Fabrication class. For easy reference, I’ve included them all in this one post.
Redline Opening
Description
This opening was a celebration of the gallery’s 10th anniversary and presented a retrospective exhibition featuring all their resident artists. It included works of art in almost every discipline and medium and provided a wide array of conversations. This list of artists seems almost endless and included names like Joel Swanson, John McEnroe, Dmitri Obergfell, and Zach Reini. There were two main rooms to the show and I don’t think that there was any necessary theme in each. It was really just a big party and everyone there was having a good time. One piece I liked in particular was the booth with the painter inside doing miniature portraits that were available for sale. Was super interesting to look inside and see him working.
Reflection
I’m happy to report that this was my first gallery opening. It was an incredible experience and it was refreshing to see how many people are interested in art in this city. The diversity of works was also refreshing; it is so nice to see the various creative avenues that artists are pursuing right now. It helps me to see how and where my artwork can fit in the mix. There wasn’t an abundance of digital art but I do feel that the pieces that were digitally inclined were well done and will definitely serve as points of inspiration for my future works. I especially liked the two video pieces in the back and the LED piece in the front. Getting to see the space and understand their residency program was also very important. I must say however, I do enjoy reading descriptions of each work in a gallery or museum and that was lacking in this instance.
Myhren Gallery Artist Talks
Description
I went to both talks so I’ll have to describe them seperately as they each had different but equally redeeming qualities. First, Tim Weaver gave a talk about a new piece he has as a part of his eCAT Project as well as some relevant photographs. The project is looking into sonifying different location around the globe to see the effects on the eco-acoustics of these spaces. This current artwork is an interactive audio piece that presents the viewer with a saying and a location. As they speak the saying it is repeated back to them as if they were standing in that location. It is a wonderful combination of environmentalist practices and technological expression. His photographs also present an alternative way of seeing; he took the majority of them using an infrared sensor to provide the viewer with a visual of elements that are outside the human’s normal visual range.
Second, Kristin Stransky gave a talk about her work with wearables, physical computing, and 3D printing. She presented several projects, some of which had common threads and medium, others slightly different, but all equally fascinating. She discussed a lot of her practice as well as her inspirations for some of the projects. There were also brief moments where she discussed her background and how that is incorporated into her practice and teaching.
Reflection
Fortunately, I’m able to have an inside perspective into Tim Weaver’s work as I’m part of the the eCAT Project so listening to him speak about this piece hit even closer to home. We have had discussions about it in the past but it was awesome to hear him speak about it on a bigger stage because I felt that he included elements for his inspiration and context that I just didn’t know about. It gave me even more motivation to continue working with him on the project because there are still so many aspects that I need to discover and interact with. It’s also nice to hear someone talk about something that I’m a part of, to hear that I’m playing a role in something that is bigger than myself.
As for Kristin’s talk, the stuff she is doing is just so innovative and her medium is one that I’m extremely interested in. Hearing her talk about it just made be more excited to take her Wearables class in the Spring Quarter. I went to the gallery opening so I was able to see her pieces prior to her talk but it was helpful to hear more about each element of her projects. Obviously her wearble projects are fascinating but I seemed to be more interested in her CommentBot project and would have loved to see it in action. I also feel that her ability to address the context in her projects is something I need to learn from and I’m excited to do so next quarter.
Shepard Fairey + Cleon Peterson
Description
It could be called a curated conversation between Shepard Fairey and Cleon Peterson. At its heart it was a conversation about Cleon’s current MCA show Shadow of Men. The two artists, along with Adam Lerner, discussed a variety of things ranging from history to process and context to audience response. Cleon and Shepard have a long history and it seems like a there is a wonderful relationship shared and collaborations have been abundant. Both artists seemed to get their “start” in the skateboard industry designing for random brands and it was interesting to hear their perspective on the growth of that industry and their relationship with it now. Cleon also discussed alot of his personal history including his upbringing and troubles with addiction; as well as how those storylines apply to and show up in his art.
Reflection
This was a very interesting event to go to as I have never seen an interview with an artist like this before. It seemed so much more personal because it was set up as a conversation between Shepard and Cleon. There were parts of Cleon’s history that I don’t think we would have been able to get had Shepard not been there. I also had no idea he was so ingrained in the skateboard industry like Shepard either. Hearing about his personal history and how that relates to his art was also very eye-opening. It was filled with turmoil to say the least. Obviously, my upbringing was not as extreme as his but I do have some turbulence that I should draw on in my work. Figuring out how to do that probably deserves another discussion with my peers but it is something that I want to do as it seems that the pieces that let the viewers have a window into the artist as a person provide connection and potential for a greater impact with future works. I also brought a friend who I haven’t seen in many years and it was nice to rekindle that relationship with something that provided some mental stimulation on artistic and cultural levels.
I also had the opportunity on 2.16 to attend an opening at Dateline for Sarah Bowling and Mario Zoots’ Point of Friction with one of my classmates. It was PACKED and I didn’t feel like taking pictures. However, I had a great time, the art was interesting to say the least, and I had the opportunity to meet/talk with some of the individuals we met on our Grad Critique field trip in a different context.
I’m truly enjoying the push to attend events like this as they show what is possible and provide perspective on what is going on in the industry. They also provide much more intellectual stimulation than other things one can do. Can’t wait to go to some more!