For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

‘At the Edge of
Science’ brings
together two worlds

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By ADAM TANOUS
Express Arts Editor

Art and science. People are always hurrying to put themselves into one camp or the other. But they are not necessarily divergent worlds. While the tools of practicing each discipline may differ-- say a paintbrush versus mathematics—ultimately, achievements in both fields demand similar leaps of imagination. Both endeavors seek to put forth a bold vision extrapolated from the tangible and the mundane.

"Untitled" from the "Science Fiction Series, 2002-2003" by Charles Lindsay Photo courtesy Anne Reed Gallery

In a new exhibit opening Monday, Nov. 10, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts will bring together nine artists and their work, all of whom explore in one way or another the cosmos and the relationship between chance, causality and the laws of nature. With drawings, video and cameraless photography, the artists examine the universe and its governing rules.

Included in the show is a diverse group of artists:

Artist Amy Myers was influenced early in her life by her father, a particle physicist who read textbooks to her as if they were fairy tales. That influence manifests itself in Myers’ large, complex graphite and gouache works on paper.

Also showing at the Center will be Russell Crotty. Crotty has spent a great deal of his life looking through a high-powered telescope at the cosmos above. His artwork comprises large hanging spheres with detailed pen work around them. The Houston Contemporary Art Museum recently featured a survey of Crotty drawings.

Artist Gerhard Mayer draws on an interstellar gas cloud in the constellation Orion for inspiration. Mayer’s drawings, which are created with strict, self-imposed rules, are complex and dense forms. Shown alongside Mayer’s work will be drawings by Roland Flexner and Wes Mills.

Irish video and conceptual artist Grace Weir offers a video installation that questions the validity of areas of scientific study. Weir’s video is titled "The Darkness and the Light." It records astrophysicist Ian Elliot as he observes sunspots on a piece of paper while discussing the difficulties of understanding the natural world.

Many in the Wood River Valley likely know Charles Lindsay’s work. He has made some remarkable black and white photographs focusing on the world of fly fishing streams, fish and flies. His book of photographs "Upstream," with Thomas McGuane, has been met with much praise.

But Lindsay’s new work is considerably different. He creates abstract, silver gelatin prints and video projections that seem to be a view into the cosmos. Lindsay uses carbon emulsion to draw on negatives, which are then developed and enlarged.

Californian Rob Craigie delves into the subject using several genres. Craigie employs drawings, sculptures, still photography and video work to explore the interaction between man and the complex systems of nature.

Of the exhibit, Jennifer Gately, the Center’s director of visual arts, said: "As humans, we have an irrepressible urge to understand the elusive mysteries of the universe in order to better understand our place within it. The artists in this exhibition find themselves at the edge of science, between theory and art—a place where creativity and the capacity to dream is, perhaps, what defines us most."

The exhibit will be open From Monday Nov. 10 until Friday, Jan. 9, 2004.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.