Digital tools like projectors allow artists to speak to their audiences in a different way.
In a distinct portrayal of modern art, “Bring Your Own Beamer (BYOB),” an exhibit that will take place tonight at the Sella-Granata Art Gallery, recruits artists to bring their projectors to create art in a given empty space.
Tonight the gallery space will be filled with simultaneous projections.
“’Bring Your Own Beamer’ is a concept created by the artist Rafaël Rozendaal and essentially, BYOB is just a set of instructions,” said Marguerite Powers, a senior majoring in fine arts with concentration in drawing and digital media. “Find a space, invite many artists and ask them to bring their projector.”
Following Rozendaal’s instructions, artists will able to amend and creatively modify their ideas.
“I have participated in a few of these events around the country,” said assistant professor Jane Cassidy, who organized the event. “A dark room can become a cacophony of light and color. It’s a great way to meet fellow artists in a fun and extremely low-pressure way.”
The BYOB exhibit is an open source exhibit and corresponds with the community, allowing artists to be creative in their own ways. Participants may show up and display their work for the community to see.
“This idea gets even cooler when you realize that through this free and open exchange of information we’re creating a physical internet,” Powers said. “And all of this from Rozendaal’s three-step instructions. Is that neat or is that neat? It’s neat.”
The community can attend the exhibit and observe the different ideas the students have brought to life via projector.
“The inspiration behind my personal piece for the show is the ongoing conflict in Syria,” Powers said. “I collected and manipulated images of Syria from various news sites and collaged them altogether to create a narrative that is driven by an audio piece taken from a novel based during World War II.”
Artists are able to take their own ideas and portray them in the way they want their audience to see it. The information that the creator chooses to use can be manipulated and then shown to the public.
“I’ve always been fascinated with light, and digital projection seemed to dovetail with my interest in light perfectly,” Powers said. “I feel that it’s more interactive than a simple drawing or painting because the viewers themselves can disrupt the projection and become part of the piece itself for better or for worse.
Digital art allows the artist to explore different ideas as a new era of art.
“I feel digital projection is a bold, forward-facing medium that has a lot of room to live in and explore as a young artist,” said Powers.
The BYOB art exhibit will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery in Woods Hall.
