Contact: Ricky Lee
ricky@presssecretariat.org
917
438 7015
MICHAEL SOMOROFF’S
ILLUMINATION
AND
ILLUMINATION 1
BravinLee
programs Off-Site unveils the new video installation as
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum features the
genre-defying sculpture it inspired.
Illumination
June 21
- August 10, 2007
Opening:
6-8 p.m., Thursday, June 21
BravinLee
programs Off Site
508 West 26 Street
(ground floor), NY, NY
Illumination I
June 24-
October 14, 2007
Opening:
3-5 p.m., Sunday, June 24
The
Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT
(Please
note transportation information below)
Click here to download a pdf of the press
release
Illumination
and
Illumination
I,
Michael Somoroff’s
unprecedented creations can be counted both separately and
together as groundbreaking and genre-defying. Each work
generates a total immersion experience realized through the
application of invented technologies; each reflects the
artist’s passion for light and its provocative use as both
a real and virtual medium – for video that is sculpture,
and sculpture that is architecture. Together, they comprise
an ever-evolving art event – and the overlapping of the
exhibitions in New York and Connecticut this summer
provides the first opportunity for viewers to experience
the symbiotic relationship between the two
installations.
For Illumination,
Mr. Somoroff has created an immersive 3-D surround sound
video installation using high definition video technology
and one of the first completely surround video projectors
ever used in a video art project. Illumination
is a
synthesis of film, video, high-definition computer
animation, and virtual photography components that together
with its architectural environment culminate in one
seamless, 270-degree surround experience. Mr. Somoroff has
developed custom-made projectors and software for the
installation. A musical score by acclaimed experimental
electronic music composer Robert Rich will enhance the
videos that will be experienced inside the space
further.
The artist’s interest in sacred architecture, spirituality
and politics provoked his analysis of light patterns on
March 20, 2003 when the U.S. first attacked Iraq. He
combined his empirical observations and personal
reflections with the movement of sunlight through a
historically-accurate digital model of a mosque in ruins –
and thus he conceived the Illumination
project.
BravinLee’s
presentation is a prequel of sorts, allowing the viewer to
see and experience the genesis for Illumination
I.
Previously exhibited at the
Rothko Chapel in
Houston (November 2006), Illumination
I will
make its final U.S. appearance at
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum before
heading to Cologne in 2008. The unveiling at the Rothko
Chapel marked the first time in its history that The Rothko
Chapel invited an artist other than those involved in its
original creation (painter Mark Rothko, artist Barnett
Newman, and the architect Phillip Johnson) to exhibit a
work of art on its grounds. “This genre-defying work blurs
the boundaries between architecture and sculpture and
functions as much as a place as it does an object,”
explains Aldrich exhibitions director Richard Klein.
Illumination I is
always installed with its open side facing east, toward the
rising sun; it stands over 20 feet high and weighs more
than 22,000 pounds. Illumination
I reveals
once again its relationship to the phenomenon of light and
the artist’s interest in sacred architecture. The hybrid
sculptural object was designed with the use of hi-tech
software programs, including digital photography, computer
modeling, and CNC milling. It is composed of fiberglass and
resin, with a final coat of traditional, hand-applied
stucco, combining sophisticated industrial production with
painstaking ancient craftsmanship.
A catalog is available with an introduction by
Christopher Rothko and text
by
David Anfam.
The
CD
Michael Somoroff Illumination, composed
by Robert Rich is available.
Both exhibitions are sponsored by:
Rhein Design and
Mill Creek Capital Advisors, LLC.
Note:
At 2pm on June 24 at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum,
there will be a dialogue between Michael Somoroff and art
historian David Anfam. Admission will be free and open to
the public.
About
Michael Somoroff
Michael
Somoroff’s mediums of choice include photography,
installation, filmmaking, writing, and a variety of "new
media" technologies. He is represented in many important
collections, a sampling of which include the Museum of
Modern Art; New York (AICP), The Houston Museum of Fine
Art, Houston, Texas; and The Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.
His work has been included in museum exhibitions around the
world, including ICP The International Center for
Photography, New York City; The Los Angeles County Museum
of Art; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Museum
of Contemporary Art of Chicago; The Frankfurt Kunstverein,
Frankfurt, Germany; and "The Great Color Exhibition" of
1986, curated by Manfred Heiting in Koln, Germany. He has
participated in gallery exhibitions in New York and abroad,
including the major international art fairs. He is the
creator of the Matrix Art Collective, a full service art
production facility in the New York City metropolitan area
and a long-standing member of the Directors Guild of
America. http://michaelsomoroff.com/
About
BravinLee programs Off Site
Following
up on the success of last summer’s Studio in the Park, 11
public art installations in Riverside Park, BravinLee
programs seeks to bring work out of the traditional gallery
space, off-site and into the public arena. The gallery
remains committed to focusing on drawings and works on
paper in their space at 526 West 26th
street.
Summer hours: June:
Tuesday-Saturday 10-6; July: Tuesday-Friday 11- 5; August:
Tuesday-Friday 12-5. 212.462.4404
www.bravinlee.com
About
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
The
Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is one of the few
non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United
States. Founded on Ridgefield's historic Main Street in
1964, the Museum enjoys the curatorial independence of an
alternative space while maintaining the registrarial and
art-handling standards of a national institution.
Exhibitions feature work by emerging and mid-career
artists, and education programs inform adults and children
about the importance of connecting to our world through
contemporary art. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street,
Ridgefield, CT 06877. For more information call
203.438.4519.
Transportation
information
Free
bus transportation is available for Aldrich Contemporary
Art Museum members from New York City to the exhibition
reception (non-members $15). The bus departs New York City
at 1:45. Please note that the bus will not arrive in time
for the Panel Discussion. Call the Museum for reservations
at 203.438.4519.
Free
round trip bus service from the Katonah, New York,
Metro-North Railroad station to the Museum in available
throughout the duration of the exhibition. Show your MTA
ticket and receive free admission to The Aldrich!
Visit
www.aldrichart.org
for more information.