Perilous Passage: May 17th, Come You Must

There will be an evening reception, 6:30 - 8:30 pm Saturday May 17 at the Bird Museum of Vermont in Huntington for the show "Perilous Passage".  

Two pieces from my silhouette series were selected by the juror for inclusion in the show.

 

“Perilous Passages”     Bird Museum of Vermont

 
We'll kick off our season-long recognition of the Passenger Pigeon's extinction with an evening gathering: Explore our new exhibit, learn about the Passenger Pigeon, meet artists and tour new artwork. There will be wine, cheese, and fascinating conversations.  

In the 100 years since the last Passenger Pigeon died, a deeper and more passionate comprehension of extinction compels us to conserve and protect. The Museum’s exhibit highlights different aspects of the Passenger Pigeon’s story. Come to understand the consequences of the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon as interpreted in art.
For a wider scope of the Passenger Pigeon project: http://passengerpigeon.org/  

 
This is also part of our special programming for "Why Birds Matter", this year's International Migratory Bird Day theme.
Suggested donation : $10 

 

Artist Statement

Martha: The Discovery and Perilous Passage are images created by photographing projections from an overhead projector. My experimentation with projections began after reading the tale of the Corinthian Maid, an ancient Greek myth often retold to illustrate the begins of painting, sculpture and photography. The story tells us that the night before her lover is off to fight in foreign lands, the Corinthian Maid, traces the shadow of his sleeping body onto the wall behind him. A shadow cast by the flame of a single candle created a form that was later filled in with clay by the Maid's father. The image became not only a painted gesture but also a sculpture. And, because the lover's silhouette was formed through the use of light projected onto a receptive surface it existed as a photographic image as well.

In my art practice I share the Corinthian Maid's motivation, the desire to hold onto loved ones by tracing the outline of their existence. I use the photograph as a talisman against forgetting, a keepsake memento that lives on long after the mortal existence of the person depicted has ended. The underlying mission of my work is to preserve, honor and stimulate memory.

Martha: The Discovery and Perilous Passage, were named in memorial to the passenger pigeon, once abundant but then hunted to their extinction.

Technical Information

After months of trial and error I developed a manner of working that involved stacking three dimensional objects, cut-out shapes and transparent images on the lighted bed of an overhead projector. I stacked sheets of plexiglass on the projector then placed a mix of objects/images on each layers; this was then projected onto a textured piece of paper on the

wall and photographed. What I saw through the camera lens is exactly what you see when looking at the final photograph. All the photographs created through this process, resulted from a hand making process and have not been digitally altered.

Each print is a limited edition archival photograph printed on rag paper with pigment inks.