DISPATCH - FEB 27, 2013 (9:06 p.m.)
WATER MILL, NY-
Contemporary video art and short films made by artists using the latest technology are appearing at the Parrish Art Museum. "As the Eye is Formed" presents a survey of what's happening now in moving image art through the works of 14 artists based in New York State. "As the Eye is Formed" has its premiere on Friday (March 1) at 6 p.m. at the museum. A second screening will be held on March 29 at 6 p.m.
Presenting artists are Aaron Bowles, Ahmet Civelek, Solange Fabiao, David Galbraith, Neil Goldberg, Theresa Hackett, Amber Heaton, Peter Macapia, Jason Mitcham, Alexandra Momin, Joe Nanashe, David Weiner, Roger Welch, and Sheri Wills.
"As the Eye is Formed" presents the different ways and results achieved by contemporary artists using evolving moviemaking technology to make moving image art. To explore the field, an open call for artist-made movies with running times under 15 minutes was issued to artists living in New York State. Submissions were juried by video artist Peter Campus. He will introduce "As the Eye is Formed" at its premiere on March 1.
Video art and films selected are diverse, embrace new technologies and push the boundaries of cinema, according to a program description. The works range from abstract to representational, conceptual to painterly, and performance to animation, said Mark Segal, publicity and marketing director for the Parrish Art Museum.
Program organizer Andrea Grover, the Parrish’s Curator of Special Projects, describes the variety this way: "What constitutes a ‘movie’ is no longer stable or simple to define. The convergence of media in the twenty-first century and the rise of moving images on everything from billboards to computers and handheld devices has expanded the possibilities for artists working in moving image art.”
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Video still of "Breathe" by Alexandra Momin. HD video, 8 minutes, 51 seconds. Image courtesy Parrish Art Museum.
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The program's title comes from a phrase written by Romantic age poet William Blake (1757-1827): "As the eye is formed, so is its power." This directly relates to the way audiences perceive and assess meanings to moving pictures and evolving technology used to make the works, according to the Parrish.
A seminal figure in video art, Campus was a video art pioneer who became known for his interactive and single channel video work in the early 1970s. Since then, Campus's art includes closed circuit installations, computer-enhanced digital photography and computer-based images.
Campus's work has been screened and collected by major museums including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim Museum, all in New York City. Also, the Tate Modern in London, England, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.
Peter Campus. Photo by Kathleen Graves. Courtesy Parrish Art Museum.
The Parrish Art Museum recently acquired Campus's digital video "Passage at Bellport Harbor" (2010). It is currently on view in the museum's American Views gallery. Campus will give an informal talk about the piece on Friday, March 15, at 6 p.m. at the museum.
A second screening of "As the Eye is Formed" will be presented on Friday, March 29, at 6 p.m. at the museum.
Regarding Campus's choices for the works that made the cut, Campus writes, "I have made every attempt to be catholic in my choices, yet I understand too well at the core are my own decisions about art: my interest in video, my interest in the evolution of seeing."
"Many of these works explore the relationship between video and seeing, others video and being. Some are quite simple and some sophisticated; at their center is the truthfulness of the artist, the expression of themselves without pomp or pretension, with this newest tool of art making.”
"As the Eye is Formed" is co-presented by the Parrish Art Museum and the Hamptons International Film Festival.
BASIC FACTS: "As the Eye is Formed" will have its premiere screening on Friday, March 1, at 6 p.m. at the Parrish Art Museum. The screening will be introduced by juror Peter Campus. Tickets are $10 or free for museum members, students with ID and children under 18 years old. A second screening will be held on Friday, March 29, at 6 p.m.
"As the Eye is Formed" is presented by the Parrish Art Museum and the Hamptons International Film Festival.
The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11976. parrishart.org
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