JORDYN HOLKA
Reverb Editor
Art Forum displayed its “Found Objects” exhibit in the Emmitt Christian Gallery from Set. 24 to Oct. 1. According to Dylan Scacchetti, Art Forum president, “the main objective of Found Objects was to transform the traditional gallery setting, and to create a sensory environment in which the viewer could be engaged.”
The room was awash in white, with all of the art pieces throughout the gallery becoming one as a result of their monochromatic nature. Art in the exhibit ranged from three dimensional sculptures to carefully arranged tacks in the wall and involved works by student artists including Emily Breedlove, Nick Gates, Nick LaTona and Heather Radford.
“The idea was that to fill a room with similar pieces would be far less distracting, and give each piece an equal voice in the environment,” said Scacchetti.
In talking about her work specifically, Radford, a junior sculpture major, said, “I’d like viewers to be aware of things that they may not be used to paying attention to, such as space and time. A lot of my work is about making intangible things tangible, even for a brief moment.”
The corner of the gallery housed a speaker display that played sound-art arrangements by Paul Sottnik. Free CDs with individually designed jackets were provided free to the public. Art Forum members designed all of the jackets uniquely, allowing visitors to the exhibit to walk away with their own one-of-a-kind piece of art, which Sottnik called a “take-home concert.”
Sottnik, a senior music instrumental education major with a focus in piano, said that he conceptualized the exhibit as an environment that would rival the concert stage.
“I do not believe that displaying modern compositions in the same way we display the works of the past is practical or effective,” said Sottnik. “Also, I do not believe there should be any differences in the ways we regard music and the ways we regard art. [My] compositions [developed] mostly out of chance and the building and layering of separate themes, which, in some way, can be equated to musical sculpture.”
“Viewing the artwork with the compositions Paul orchestrated washing over in the background created a sort of surreal experience that affected everyone differently,” said Scacchetti.
Scacchetti also mentioned that the overall idea of the exhibit changed at the very last minute, saying, “‘Found Objects’ was originally meant to be of an entirely different nature, but an hour before the opening, we decided to take a dramatic shift and opt for works that were similar in color.”
Sottnik added, “The result was a gallery dominated by music and sculpture that worked beyond any two or even three dimensional plane and touched time, as well. The duality between sound and space was the ultimate answer to the concept of creating an ulterior environment for experiencing art and sound.”
Art Forum is a student group that focuses on presenting programs aimed at heightening awareness of the visual arts on campus.