Author: C'Ville Art Blog

Everyone has his or her own way of processing information. Some of us think visually; the neurological place where seeing is believing and photographic memories are born. Others have an astounding knack for audio perception, memorizing information primarily with their psychoacoustic faculties. There are those who rely heavily upon numerical data and others who do best when offered a literary source of information.

No matter how we perceive the world, we all have strengths and weaknesses in terms of what holds our interest. All of us enjoy thinking about some things but not others. That’s why some of us chose to practice law, while others study rat brains, or cook French cuisine for a living.

These inevitable truths can leave those of us in the visual arts with a difficult dilemma to overcome. That is to say, even if there is a very important message we wish to convey through our creations, there is no guarantee that viewers will take that information away from those visual representations alone.

Photographer Richard Misrach and landscape architect Kate Orff attempt to overcome this obstacle by combining their respective efforts in a large scale research collaboration that touches both on the power of the photographic image and the weight of infographics. The resulting exhibit is titled “Petrochemical America: Project Room,” and offers a multifaceted approach to discovering the issues surrounding the proliferation of petroleum products in American culture.

Some of the images are primarily visual. Viewers are given the opportunity to bask in the hauntingly surreal and beautiful photographs captured by Richard Misrach. These large-scale images depict the industrialized landscape of the Mississippi River Corridor also known as “Cancer Alley.” One of them shows a field of green, a sky of blue, and in between, a small ranch style home with decorative plants on the front porch. The house is dwarfed by the expansive chemical plant towering behind it. Another photograph shows a misty morning landscape. In it, several over-sized spherical factory tanks are faintly visible through the mist, while the hollow grave-like slabs in the foreground rise up like memories; an indication of where homes once stood and people once lived.

Other images primarily function to showcase information. Viewers are presented with a combination of graphs, topographical maps, posters, leaflets, interesting emails, linear doodles, and scribbled notes. Each of these pieces of information was obtained through extensive research. Taken individually, they seem meaningless, but put on display side-by-side, they form narratives pertaining to complex economic and ecological forces that have shaped this landscape.

Somewhere in between, viewers will find several large infographic artworks: aesthetically pleasing representations of information gathered and then combined through graphic design. Various subjects were chosen with obvious specificity to convey very precise meanings. One such piece mashes together aesthetic elements with at least five distinct infographic systems. Superimposed are an image of bluish-black oil floating on water, an illustrated depiction of evolutionary history and the rise of man, a graph of carbon monoxide levels in our atmosphere through history, a cutaway view of the geological changes through time (from the appearance of fossil fuel to its complete depletion) and a map of the Mississippi River. Another such piece shows cutaway views of a human’s internal organs combined with extensive information regarding the astounding number of cancers that are caused by petroleum products that proliferate in our daily lives.

With such a broad spectrum, some of the infographics have lost their clarity and meaning. Even if the viewer will walk away with an idea, or a general concept, certain types of data are hard to glean from the visual representations alone. One such piece as mentioned above, depicts the evolution of man and the depletion of fossil fuels over time. The piece hypothesizes that when fossil fuel is all used up and carbon monoxide levels in the atmosphere make the earth uninhabitable, the evolutionary chain will end. Concrete data in this graphic is essentially unattainable or unreadable. This leads us to ask whether is it more important to lay out actual facts or to give just a general idea in an exhibit like this.

There are several other pieces in the show that present factual information very concretely with less focus on aesthetics. These pieces successfully function as a call to social action through an artistic representation of statistics and scientific evidence.

This show attempts to balance the vivid emotional photographs with the stark graphical overlays. Misrach and Orff have created a body of work which functions very well as a whole, though each individual work is executed with varying degrees of success. Some are bulky or over-worked, some beautiful and terrifying, while others are haunting but obscure. Perhaps this is meant to mimic the noisy proliferation of information we experience and analyze on a daily basis.

These photographs will fill viewers with an undeniable sense of horror and helplessness. It successfully presents us with information ranging from the things we use daily that are made of petroleum, to the types of cancers that are caused by those products. On a larger scale, it reminds us how the production of these products affects our environment and how it will change our future. It even gives us a window into the lives that were destroyed by various illnesses caused by petroleum products and the very plants that produce them all over the world. The show is painful to look at and yet the compelling information and poetic imagery is hard to look away from.

Unlike some other exhibits that display various inconvenient truths, “Petrochemical America” leaves us with a small glimmer of hope. Rather than leaving viewers with nothing more than an empty feeling in the pit of their stomach as a starting point for change, the exhibit offers up a small handbook full of potential solutions. Entitled, “Glossary of Terms and Solutions for a Post Petrochemical Culture,” the leaflet covers a whole range of options available to us as a means for coping with the consequences of our collective actions. Somehow, it is relieving to be reminded that despite the fact that the giant scale of social, political and environmental factors that led us to this point are much bigger than any of us imagine, even smalls actions like carpooling are a step in the right direction.

Ultimately, “Petrochemical America” as one complete entity achieves many things that a standard body of artwork does not. It functions to successfully present research and analysis in the form of an aesthetic visual art display. It is a scary, but also hopeful. And above all, it provides information via more than just one medium, which should allow people from all walks of life to appreciate and understand it.

~Rose Guterbock and Aaron Miller

 “Petrochemical America: Project Room” is on display at the McGuffey Art Center through June 30, 2013.

For the LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph, Rich Tarbell and Brian Wimer have created a series of charming and nostalgic narrative photographs. The series, “Slumber Party Massacre,” is essentially a remake of the 1982 film of the same name. Tarbell and Wimer have obviously altered the story and how we view it by shooting photographs rather than film. This approach offers a unique vision of the slasher movies and their formulaic pivotal moments. It allows viewers to take some time to relish every detail, from the subtle foreshadowing, to the stunning climax, and all the gore and screaming that transpires in between.

The photographs are highly detailed glossy metal prints which are hung in a small floating gallery under the Market Street Garage. The images themselves are very striking and the printing method gives them a refurbished vintage feel. As you enter the gallery space, the narrative unfolds from left to right. It is also interesting to note how the photographs are dated by the 1980′s period objects which populate them. In the series you will find a wired landline telephone, an Ouija board, and a small television with a twist knob for the channels.

The way the images are constructed is varied and versatile. Some photographs are composed like still frames of film. An example of this is the image shot from the killer’s perspective. In it we see one gloved hand holding a trowel and a bloody heart held in the other. This is a technique often used in horror films to give a strong sense of point of view, as well as to preserve the mystery of the killer’s identity. Alternately, some frames are composed more like traditional photographs. For example, the first image in the series contains a lot of information that is conveyed through the composition. This image takes time to examine, and would function very differently with moving parts. However, all the images function to further the narrative by the most effective means available, drawing from the crude and campy implementations of the film genre itself.

The screenplay for the original 1982 film Slumber Party Massacre, written by the American feminist author Rita Mae Brown, was intended to be a parody of the genre. The producers shot the film as a straight genre piece instead. Nonetheless, the film retained elements of comedy and philosophy which were uncommon to its era. Although the photographs are difficult to analyze as one would a film, it seems as though Tarbell and Wimer have picked up on these subtle notes and carried them over to their reworked script. The photographs depict a predominantly female cast who live up to the standard of Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street-not merely surviving by accident or relying upon external forces for salvation. Instead, the photographs depict a female instigated and female resolved murderous rampage, with many male and female casualties along the way. Tarbell and Wimer have also made the interesting decision (spoiler alert) to make the killer one of the slumber party participants. This is not a unique strategy in slasher films, but an interesting one considering the feminist undertones.

Despite possessing such a concrete narrative, a few of the photographs still manage to stand out as beautiful works independent of the series. In particular the first and last images are strikingly well composed, and distort time like a skilled painting.

In addition, we would be amiss not to mention the forethought taken in planning the opening reception for the show as well. Culinary themes run throughout the photos and it really put a smile on our faces to see the props from the photo-shoot offered up as refreshments. After all, who doesn’t want to eat pizza and popcorn and candy while enjoying a bunch of campy-fun, horror-filled photographs brimming with pizza and popcorn and candy? (We really giggled at the electric carving knife placed with a certain nonchalance among the pizza boxes!)

As a whole, the series is very nostalgic, lighthearted, and visually enjoyable. It is well worth a visit.

“Slumber Party Massacre” by Rich Tarbell and Brian Wimer is on display as an official Community Exhibit of the internationally renowned LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph. The show will be displayed alongside the “It’s Only Rock’n’Roll, Volume 2″ exhibit by Rich Tarbell. Both exhibits can be viewed from June 12-21 at Pop-Up Galleries 106 & 110 on the first floor of the Market Street Parking Garage.

~Aaron Miller and Rose Guterbock

We take mobility and locomotion for granted. Our bodies are designed like a well-oiled machine and our nervous system works with such fluidity that we often forget the complexity involved in creating movement. It isn’t until we sustain an injury that we remember all the physiological aspects, and how hard it is when that range of motion is taken away from us.

Throughout time, and all over the world, capturing the very moment in which movement occurs has fueled many artist’s ambitions. From Degas’ dancers, to Turner’s “Rain, Steam and Speed,” to Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase,” movement has offered a certain magic.

Guillermo Ubilla’s series “Nudes in Motion,” currently on display at FIREFISH Gallery, contributes to the tradition of celebrating movement. His photographs are clean, well presented and strive to capture quick movements of the human body in a clear and visually penetrating way.

The photographs are black and white figurative images with simple compositions. Each image contains one or more nude female figure, the visual evidence of its movement, and nothing else. The backgrounds are  black or white, providing an empty space through which the bodies can move. Ubilla  exposed his images over a period of time and captured the artifacting and blurring as his models moved. The evidence of movement is caught in the form of fingers tracing lines across the composition, fuzzy spheres repeating themselves in space, or phantoms appearing behind shadowy figures. Each piece gives the impression of shadows, blurred vision, even echoes of inverted x-rays. The contrast within the images is heightened, the edges are soft, supple and distinctly human.

The photographs are not portraits. The identity and details of the individuals, other than an occasional tattoo, are not significant. The figures in the photographs are all females and all nude. The lack of clothing reveals bizarre and interesting details of the figure’s movements. The collapsed time twists and contorts the bodies of the models. However, it is not clear in the photographs why the figures are all female. As a study of movement, the show seems narrowly focused in this respect.

The images give the viewer little choice but to focus on the figure in motion. The black space around the figures serves a few purposes. It provides contrast, sets the figures in a particular place in the composition and also provides an empty feeling where we can easily imagine where the figures are moving next. In many of his images this purpose is clear and effective. However, Ubilla also tends to overuse blank space, achieving a crisp design and aesthetic, but conflicting with the way the image functions. The large spaces sometimes add nothing to the image or even dampen the effect of subtle movements in the figure.

According to the artist, “The idea behind the project was to capture the movement of a human body over a period of a few seconds. Often photographs are about a single, decisive moment capture in a fraction of a second. I wanted to take a moment and spread it out over a few seconds and see what kinds of shapes and patterns the human body can make under those conditions.” To accomplish this, Ubilla used a variety of lighting equipment; continuous lighting sources and flash stroboscopic lighting, as well as a long shutter speed to record the path of movement of the body. The method used to capture these images is not obvious, leaving the photographers work mysterious and a little eerie.

The finished pieces clearly depict how well Ubilla uses the tools of his craft. He also printed, matted, and framed all of the pieces for the show himself. Each portion of Ubilla’s creative process has been well controlled with quality in mind.

Guillermo Ubilla’s show “Nudes in Motion” at the Firefish Gallery opens Thursday, June 6 from 7pm – 9pm and will remain on display for the month of June, a month in which we celebrate the photograph.

It is well worth a visit to see well thought out and well presented work by a local artist. Ubilla was also recently featured in Black and White Magazine.

~Rose Guterbock and Aaron Miller of C’ville Art Blog