(computer simulation)“MetaphorM,” 2008 -- our new installation at Suyama Space, takes the existing architecture as subject for extended variations on structure and line, substance and shadow, volume and void, motion and stillness. Combining sculpture, sound and video in a complex but subtle overlay to the strong rhythms of ribs, beams and skylights in the space, the piece heightens the viewers’ awareness of the “natural” room and its ever-changing light and shifting moods. At the same time we offer another experience altogether – a world within a world of artistic invention that engages the imagination.
Carolyn Healy is creating an airy, geometric armature of over 200 steel rods, interlocking and suspended in space, anchored in the beams and roof joists, that echo basic figures of the building itself. With the addition of cables, ropes, pulleys and objects of varied shape and weight she animates the construction with looping curves and surprising “balancing acts” as she works with gravity to create line. The effect is one of an acrobatic “drawing in space.”
John Phillips adds the sensations of motion and sound to the perceptual mix, introduced in response to changes in light and sound conditions in the room. Sensors placed in the gallery provide constant informational feedback to the media system controlled by the program Isadora. Three video projections approximate the visual tones of shadows in abstract moving images seen on 2 walls and the center floor. The temporal geometry of natural (sun) and artificial (video) light passing over Carolyn’s sculpture is a primary focus of the experience. The video element brings to mind recollected shadows not present during cloudy times; it evokes, as well, a fleeting human presence. A very quiet 4-channel sound mix occasionally floats through the space as if to trigger a submerged memory.