MARCIA HUYER | OFF THE GRID
October 25 – December 7, 2007
Opening Reception Thursday October 25 7 pm
Recently I have been exhibiting installations that explore ideas of physical perception and the concept of space. These ideas have been investigated through inflated Tyvek sculptures. The inflated sculptures have derived from existing objects or architectural details. With a drastic change in scale and inflation these objects become unrecognizable, stripping the object from its original context and provoking the viewer to wonder of the function while they meander through the altered gallery space. I am interested in using these manipulated forms to form the space itself, creating an environment that releases an emotive and imaginative response in the viewer.
In this exhibition, Off the Grid, the inflated forms take their shape from the existing ceiling tiles of the Odd Gallery. The gallery is not a just a venue for exhibiting work but a participating medium, a canvas if you will. The forms created adapt and respond to the actual space. Having the shape of the ceiling tile cascade and expand into the gallery offers the viewer a new visual and sensory experience of the gallery. Although the inflated shapes find reference within the ceiling tiles the cumulative forms develop into a unique environment: an environment of wonderment and contemplation.
This exhibition takes place when daylight hours are few. Light plays an important role in experience and perception and therefore an important medium along side Tyvek and air. The combination of light and Tyvek produce remarkable results: the folds and creases become intensely illuminated. The light reveals the membrane qualities of Tyvek, giving the space an anthropomorphic quality. Off the Grid, will no doubt suggest an unrestrained chandelier but perhaps also seem as though one is navigating through an upside down city.
Natural Cool Fluorescent lights have been incorporated into the past exhibitions, Tune In. Turn On. Bleach Out. and Wayfinding. This type of light is initially enticing but quickly becomes unsettling, often described as sterile and cool. Although I am intrigued by this paradoxical response to the sublime, I am interested in creating an alternative environment within Dawson City, one that offers a contrast to the cold and dark environment of the winter months. Full-spectrum bulbs have replaced the cool fluorescent bulbs, offering the viewer a temporary hiatus within a space of intense daylight. Perhaps my intentions are too utopic, as the light is only mimicking daylight. Nevertheless, it is my hope that the viewer will be attracted to the light to stay long enough, to catch their breath and take a moment to daydream, allowing the installation to generate new questions and experiences.