FIOS_JESUS;expanded christianity v2.0" 2008ipod,circuitboard,speakers,l.e.d's,fiber optic systems,plastics,airbrush paints,resin,styrofoam,religious icon,edition of 1 looping audio/video track
Three solo exhibitions that explore new trends in 21st century sculpture to reference today’s sciences and the recent technologies of physics, computational mathematics and engineering, and digital systems as they interrelate with society’s philosophical discourse and the visual arts.
“Transcendence” the auto-catalytic sculpture of Mark Andreas
“Infosphere Aesthetics” the new media sculpture of [dNASAb]
"Field” the sculptural systems of Ryan Wolfe
Cress Gallery of Art
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
http://www.utc.edu/cressgallery
Feb. 6 – Mar 17, 2008
A John and Diane Marek Visiting Artist Lecture Series
Lecture and opening reception Feb. 5, 2008 5:30pm in room 356, Fine Arts Center.
Gallery hours M-F 9:30am – 7pm
For more information contact the curator at ruth-grover@utc.edu
Or call 423-304-9789
"FIOS_JESUS;expaned christianity v2.0” is the first piece created in 2008,and was inspired by my many trips to Spain, especially my interface with Christmas Mass 2008.Sitting in a cathedral that took over 300 years to construct is awe-inspiring and truly indicative of the Greatness men can achieve when working together/collaborating on epic levels and monumental scale. The sculpture is emblematic of MY views on Christianity. I believe in alternate realities ,infinity ,alien life-forms , evolution AND the ideas of Christianity. I am concerned that religion is fearful of the truths of science and technology. Through this first work of its kind I created. I am trying to propose the possibility that they can all be interrelated, and in harmony, and not working to disprove each other. The alter pieces and stained glass windows create a truly creative, immersive environment for men to explore the unseen spiritual world through AWE. The audio is already amplified, the cathedral electrified. Wouldn’t it seem fitting if creating a new cathedral to integrate plasma screens, lasers, projections, and video/audio compositions to create a place for AWE, in the same way as the ancient cathedrals but utilizing new technologies?
I was very concerned when making this piece. Firstly, I have purposefully not worked with the figure in art for well over a decade, and never worked with religion as a conceptual theme in my work at all. And the majority of the Master artists that I respect that worked with religion as a theme in art, did so at a much later stage in their lives. But feeling compelled to flesh out some of the ideas swirling in my head, I decided to create the piece and exhibit it at the University of Tennessee solo show titled “Infosphere Aesthetics” . To my surprise this piece brought about a lot of great feedback, dialog, interesting questions and excitement to the show and further hammered home, in my mind, the importance of asking difficult questions through the creation and exhibition of art made_that not always is created for a reason the artist even himself understands. [dNASAb] 2008
