Art and Interpretation by Jimmy S
Have you ever thought of a grid of rusted conduit and junction boxes as a work of art? Imagine, if you will, a clean white wall covered by a grid of rusted conduit and junction boxes containing a dull blue lense and a small bright red light. At first glance it does not appear at all impressive and definitely not a work of art. Then some one walks past the grid, the bright red lights change to amber and classical music begins to play. Upon further investigation, you find out the blue lense are photo cells and the red lights are infrared laser beams. The shadow of the person walking by disrupted the laser and caused the music to be played. During a visit to the Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia on October 30, 1997 I saw this exciting work of art titled "Zoe" which was created by Peter Terezakis. Having no memory of ever before visiting an art museum, I really did not expect the type of art on display. I had never thought of contemporary art in the forms I saw. Initially I thought this can't be the right place I felt more like I was visiting a science fair than an art exhibit. Even with the title of "Forces" I expected paintings representing motion or other forces of nature. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate moving, breathing or seeing works of art.  Being a person that has always liked things mechanical, and marveled at the amount of technology and perseverance it takes to create such things, this is a perfect fit for my understanding and appreciation of art. I was impressed by "Zoe" because it appears so simple, yet is really a complex work. Creation of this piece required not only a lot of time, but it required an extreme amount of patience by the artist. Getting the correct sensitivity infrared lasers and focuses them correctly is an exacting effort in itself.  This entire exhibit was filled with works that really show the connection between improving technologies and the world of art. The "Cube" is an example of how the constant improvements in microcomputer technology can be used to turn a plain black box into a contemporary work of art. The timing circuitry used in "Orrey" to control the circulation of the trains is what really makes it an outstanding piece of artwork. These works seem to indicate that the artists had a strong technological background and were seeking a way to demonstrate some new and different uses of their favorite technology. The creation of these exhibits show how creative thinking and finding the right technology to support the idea can create whatever one may desire. The use of the correct tools and technology will allow any person to create their own work of art, no matter what type of artistic background they have. I have already seen the three-dimensional hologram technology adapted for use by the automotive custom paint industry. Having seen this use of the technology I feel these artists are truly contributing to the growth of contemporary art and technology. (Jimmy S) top
Bill T	April F

top | Forces | developed by D. Reiss and S. Cornell | modified 17 November 1998 by D. Reiss and S. Cornell