#gallery experience

[lowqualitycatphotos]

art requires interaction

[kurtcore]

trying to get a job in GLAM is genuinely like we expect you to the job of five people and have five years of experience in ten different kinds of jobs for this entry level minimum wage role. rial ex

[b-kashiyuka]

daito had to fix something and was 2 feet from me and a lot of ppl. some even asked for selfies and he said yes.

[b-kashiyuka]

hell yes we touched them

[artsimply]

Wood Street Galleries Experience: SECOND/SECOND

"I am always trying to capture phenomena such as sound, water, fire, shadow, and light, and channel them along new grooves, turn them into something other than what they are. These are phenomena that you feel and think about, but never see.”

--Finnbogi Petursson

Icelandic artist Finnbogi Petursson titles the show SECOND/SECOND and it is his first solo show in the United States. The show itself is split into two exhibits, with each one being displayed on a different floor. For those of you unfamiliar with Wood Street Galleries, the gallery itself shares the building with a T stop, so the second and third floors of the building are devoted to the gallery. However, both floors are rather small and are usually devoted to just one exhibit at a time. This really works for SECOND/SECOND, because while the two exhibits are related, they are still very different and the split exhibition space allows you to experience the both separately.

The first exhibit of the show is titled Infra-Supra. Wood Street Galleries describes this exhibit in a very technical way:

“As in his previous water-works, the artist uses three sine waves to create circular patterns on the surface of a large pool build in the entire first floor of Wood Street gallery. Spotlights show the water reflection from a different angle in one large image on an opposite wall. The ripples travel across the water surface; they disappear for a while then appear bit later mixed with the ripples coming from the opposite direction. Together they break up the calm water surface in to negative/positive sinus ripples vibrating below and above the zero line creating infra-supra.”

The room itself is rather dark, with the only light source being spotlights close to the ceiling of the room. A pool of water takes up most of the floor, and light reflects off the water to create a ripple patterned reflection on a blank wall. A low sound is emitted whenever the sine waves are created, which is both somehow overwhelming to your ears (mostly at first) but still somehow comforting and calming. The exhibit itself is very unique, and it’s something I could probably sit and look at for hours.

However, it’s on thing to hear about the exhibit and an entirely different thing to actually experience it. Good thing I’ve got a short video of it!

Cool, right?! The audio isn’t as obvious on the video as it is in real life, so it’s just one of the many reasons why you should go see this exhibit in person.

The next exhibit of the show is titled Tesla Tune and is is dedicated to inventor Nikola Tesla. Another technical description from Wood Street Galleries:

“The installation emits sound that comes from an alternating current transformer, which is lead through a programmer (time-adjusted frequency equalizer and switch box) to channel the sound through eight different outputs—pipes. These eight pipes of different lengths hang from the galley’s ceiling, producing what seem to be different sounds, but the frequency is always the same, 60 Hz. The lengths of the pipes affect the pitch.”

This room is much brighter than the first room, though the far corner of it is left dark. The room itself has a curved shape to it. Large, comfortable beanbag chairs are placed in the darkened area of the room, forcing viewers to face the ends of the pipes. Sound is clearly the most powerful element of the exhibit and it almost takes on a physical form. In fact, if you lay back and close your eyes, everything else drops away other than just the sound. For a moment, it’s just blackness and that noise. It really is an entirely unique experience, and something I wouldn’t mind going to again. (Besides, those beanbags are very comfy! I wouldn’t mind taking a nap in them)

Again, the audio of this video just does not do the exhibit justice at all. It’s definitely better to be there to get the full experience.

As always, this description is nowhere near as good as seeing the show in person! For any of you in Downtown Pittsburgh, make sure to stop by Wood Street Galleries! SECOND/SECOND runs through December 31st, so it’s not like you have too much of an excuse to miss it. Wood Street Galleries is located at 601 Wood Street and is free to the public. Read below for hours!

Hours:

Wednesday and Thursday: 11 am – 6 pm

Friday and Saturday: 11 am – 8 pm

Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm

[saasy-blog]

The 'Salts Mill' Experience

If you are staying in York this summer one gallery worth a visit and less than an hour away, nestled in the sleepy town of Saltaire is Salts Mill. It exhibits a fantastic collection by the Yorkshire-born artist David Hockney, within the venue of a disused grade II listed mill. The vast expanse of space within this setting allows for impressive exhibitions with artworks illuminated by light flooding it through windows that line the walls.

Salts Mill is split across two main gallery spaces ‘1853’ and ‘Gallery 2’ with the collection varying from Hockney’s early work to more recent pieces. Included are his impressive ‘photo-joiners’ in which photographs are overlapped to create a scene from different angles and perspectives in contrast with his better-known tennis prints and colourful oil paintings. Some paintings depict the mill itself and the surrounding Yorkshire countryside that is so important to Hockney’s work. 

Their newest display ‘Fresh Flowers’ portrays the artist’s very latest artworks created on his iphone and ipad. As an artist always experimenting with new technology, the exhibition complements the tone of old and new incorporated. However the factor that stands out most about this gallery is its unique interpretation of the ‘gallery experience’.

The gallery receives no funding or grants from the local council for gallery 1853, is free to enter for the public and works as a ‘private enterprise’ relying on other forms of income to keep up the gallery’s maintenance. One way the gallery has dealt with this issue is by incorporating amongst the galleries a shop that runs throughout selling everything art related from practical materials to postcards and specialist books.  Rather than the usual gallery experience with a disjointed separation of art and commercial items, Salts Mill ties this together combining these gallery elements. This is not your average art gallery experience.

Rather than taking away from the focus on Hockney’s work, the gallery succeeds in this combination of creative and commercial components. The atmosphere is welcoming and visitors are seen enjoying this mix of high art and attainable and affordable items. Salts Mill have transformed the stereotypical gallery experience into something more involving and participatory. Even if you are not a Hockney fan, the gallery is worth seeing for its architectural splendour and experimental take on the modern gallery. 

S.W.