New FRANK artist paints NC landscapes, lifestyles
While the world is moving closer to modernity, Carroll Lassiter reminds North Carolina to remember its roots.
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While the world is moving closer to modernity, Carroll Lassiter reminds North Carolina to remember its roots.
Some say art is dead, but one exhibition aims to bring it back to life.
By Katie Hjerpe Staff Writer Some say art is dead, but one exhibition aims to bring it back to life. “Symphonic Dreamscapes” at Hillsborough’s Eno Gallery is a textural experience that combines natural art with innovative computer technology. The exhibition blends sculptures with both custom audio and a fiber optic light show, said artist Vicki Grant. Though Grant is the official artist behind the work, she said there was equal collaboration with light engineer Art Robinson and audio engineer Jason Wagonner. “When you collaborate, each person has strengths, and you get a much stronger product,” Grant said. “There is no one person out there that could do what these pieces do.” The pieces in the gallery consist of wall sculptures containing many natural elements, such as nautilus shells, as well as visual light shows and an auditory component meant to tell a story. The works are interactive — changing based on the motions of the viewer. “These pieces are inspired by people who get right up in front of any work, who touch it to get engaged,” Grant said. “I felt as though they wanted to get involved and so I introduced other senses: light and a story that goes behind them in music.” The movement in the piece is triggered by the viewer’s own movements through sensors. Miniature microprocessor computers located within each sculpture program the LED and fiber optic lights. The lights interact with not only the viewer, but also with the sculptural components of the “dreamscapes” in order to create both a visual and textural experience. “I think the viewer will gain a better appreciation of those natural elements of the work because they are presented in such a different environment,” Robinson said. He also said he was excited to explore light through the exhibition. “Art has always been a part of what I’ve done,” he said. “I have always wanted to explore lighting, and Vicki’s work lent itself to that type of thing.” Grant, who was formerly an architect for 25 years, is used to collaborating with lighting specialists, such as Robinson. The added audio, consisting of original music by Wagonner, is meant to tell the work’s full story. “People who move between arts tend to look at things differently,” said Mark Donley of Eno Gallery. “(Grant) looks at them as constructs.” Eno Gallery, a representative of Grant’s for years, will be holding the exhibition in a special darkened gallery to emphasize each element of the artwork. Donley said they are excited to host such a cutting-edge piece. “We are a fine arts gallery that normally has paintings and sculptures on display,” he said. “We wouldn’t normally have a piece this interactive.” Like the artists themselves that built this hybrid piece, the different components of “Symphonic Dreamscapes” work together to create a larger impact on the viewer. “Like a theatrical performance, it needed timing — scenes and cues of lighting and sound — to make it all come together,” Robinson said. The group of collaborators hopes to expand their “theater” of interactive art in a larger exhibition, which Grant calls “Symphony,” later in the year. “Controlled lighting that changes over time — so slowly that you might not see it — is fascinating to watch,” Robinson said. “With expansion, I hope to create artwork that is never really the same.” arts@dailytarheel.com
One local artist expanded the color palette in a town that bleeds Carolina blue.
UNC alumnus Estes Tarver is working on a feature film called “Changeover.” Tarver plans to begin filming in May.
There is power in music, and Thursday night, “MElodies” aimed to prove that.
The freak shows of the 19th century, bearded lady and all, are back in style — or perhaps they never really disappeared.
Many say a culture of fear has pushed mental illness to the fringes of society, but one documentary is determined to bring it back.
The N.C. Botanical Garden is hosting “Robert Frost — Full Day of Spring” today to celebrate Frost’s 140th birthday, his poetry and the science that inspired it.
Four artists met in a panel Monday in Greenlaw Hall to discuss collaboration between people and passions that leads to what moderator Bland Simpson called “a whole greater than the sum of its parts.”
Four years ago, house music in Chapel Hill was an endangered species on the brink of extinction.