LEXINGTON, Ky.—An exhibition incorporating video and sound waves to evoke the sights and sounds of moving water kicks off the Morlan Gallery season.
“Waves & Currents: An Exploration of Sound, Light, and Time” opens Friday, Sept. 6, and runs through Friday, Oct. 11.
The exhibition features two video installations: Dark Swell by Boston artist Georgie Friedman and River by Montreal artist Lenka Novakova.
The title “Waves & Currents” references not only the ocean waves and river currents visually represented in the video installations, but also the media in which the artists are working: sound waves and electrical current. “The combination of water and electricity is normally a cause for alarm, but in this case, the results are electrifying in the most positive sense,” says Morlan Gallery director Andrea Fisher.
Novakova’s multi-channel video installation “River” transforms the entire gallery space by simulating the experience of being caught up in a river current. The installation consists of multiple conical screens suspended from the ceiling leaving space in-between for participants to walk comfortably. Multiple projectors display river images on the screens.
Meanwhile, Friedman’s “Dark Swell” depicts an ocean wave rumbling on a 9-foot-tall and 14-foot-wide wave-like form. The two-channel video installation is projected in various wave frequencies so it moves around the viewer, while a pulsating audio-scape emanates from speakers.
Georgie Friedman is an interdisciplinary artist whose projects include large-scale video installations, single and multi-channel videos and several photographic series. She has lived, worked and exhibited throughout the United States. In recent years, she was named a “rising star” by The Boston Globe and “One of the most exciting new-media artists in the region” by The Boston Phoenix.
Lenka Novakova is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Montreal. Born in the Czech Republic, she has received numerous prestigious fellowships and awards and has an active exhibition record in Canada, the U.S. and abroad.
“Waves & Currents” is part of the Transylvania University-hosted Studio 300 Digital Art and Music Festival, Kentucky’s only such festival, which takes place Oct. 4-5. The festival, which gets its name from Transylvania’s 300 North Broadway address, explores creative manifestations of technology through concerts and exhibitions of digital art and music. Over two days, Studio 300 will feature 30 stage performances and over 20 art installations, interactive pieces and video/sound works by artists and musicians from around the world. All events are free and open to the public.
The Morlan Gallery’s regular hours are Monday–Friday, noon–5 p.m. and by special appointment. The gallery will also be open Saturday, Sept. 28, 1-4 p.m. Go to www.transy.edu/morlan/calendar.htm to view the gallery’s exhibition calendar for 2013-14. For more information, contact gallery director Andrea Fisher at 859-233-8142.