By Lilly Ward
Staff Writer
In Grounds for Sculpture’s third and final season of “Night Forms,” the contemplative stillness that characterizes many of their contemporary sculptures makes way for a rediscovery of the work through the intersection of art and technology.
“Night forms” comprises 13 site specific installations along the Main Loop path of GFS that experiment with our perception of reality.
Take abstract expressionist sculptor Bruce Beasly’s 1989 sculpture “Dorion,” for example. During the night and the day, a visitor's experience of the sculpture vastly differs. In the day, the “Dorion” is a large steel sculpture consisting of geometric forms that paradoxically seems to gently float on the surface of a rectangular pool. At nightfall, the light outlines all of the sharp silhouettes and shimmers against the brushed steel.
The beat of the music written and produced by Berlin artist, Julien Grefe, pulsates through the air as perfectly manicured arborvitaes take on vibrant tints of blue, red and green. “Cheat.code” is the name given to this new alternative identity of the sculpture.
Overwhelmingly popular with visitors, this multi-sensory light and sound experience is the result of GFS’s partnership with Klip Collective, a creative studio in Philadelphia founded in 2003 that specializes in using projection mapping, lighting and sound design to actualize immersive art experiences that are “site-specific.”
(“Arch II, Set II,” Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas “rem,” by Klip Collective).
Projection mapping, which involves video projection on irregularly shaped objects, is particularly suited to creating an immersive art experience with sculpture. The result is mesmerizing, as the landscape and the artwork are transformed into an alternative reality made more tangible by the enhancement of textures and forms that undulate, flicker and even glitch.
“I think this exhibit is at its best,” said Ricardo Rivera, the lead artist of Klip. “I'm really blown away. It's a privilege to have this opportunity to come back and refine something like this.”
Among the returning installations from previous years is “Froghead Rainbow,” presided over by New Jersey artist Michelle Post’s stately busts known as “The Oligarchs.” Rainbows emerge from the mouths of the solemn figures creating pools that swirl on the ground. A field recording of frogs at GFS plays in the background interspersed with Grefe’s electronic music.
(“Dorion,” by Bruce Beasly/ “cheat.code,” Klip Collective).
While some installations inspire awe with artful distortions and illusions appear to be imbued with surging energy, others require quiet contemplation and reflection, such as “password.regret,” an installation set against a still landscape of trees.
“It's one of the understated pieces,” said Rivera. “If you have the time, please take that time to just live in it for a moment. It really is beautiful. It transcends that space.”
In “Night Forms,” visitors lose themselves in the landscape both literally and figuratively, changing the understanding of what it means to experience and process works of art. This exhibit requires active participation as well as a willingness to lose oneself in a constructed reality.
When the lights dim and the scene goes dark as the music fades, do not be surprised if you still find yourself standing there waiting to bask in the glow of the simulation once again.
You can experience the meditative power of “Night Forms” through April 7, 2024.
