Spun Spectra Opening Show, July 22/23, 2016 – Roberts Creek, B.C.
The gallery environment is a unique space, often clean and devoid of ‘distractions’ allowing an art piece to take the sole attention of the guest’s eyes and mind. This can be an incredibly effective method to view art, however for Spun Spectra we wanted to do something different for the opening show. In the wooded forests of Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast, we carved a gallery space out of the forest, with paths meandering through old growth stumps, around ferns, across a creek, and up the ravine where towering firs, cedars, hemlocks, and maples live. These, after all, are the original spaces where the Spun Spectra images were captured in the first place. By returning the images to their original environment, we presented the creatures of the forest with resonating sounds and images of themselves, while creating a seamless viewing space for the guests. The images below follow the pathway through the forest and across the creek, ultimately leading to the pieces that tell the complete story of these prints. In addition to the prints positioned in various locations of the forest, we also installed a hologram feature showcasing spectral footage of baby spiders spinning their first webs. This feature will travel with the series and is a unique way of presenting moving images.
In addition to augmenting the visual natural environment, via the images of that environment, half of the prints were emitting sounds as well, the sounds Giorgio had generated from the prints themselves (see description of the series for more details). These simple spectral sine-wave sounds coupled with the natural rustlings of the trees and babbling of the creek brought the forest alive with the sights and sounds of past spider webs. Select images of the gallery space and show are featured below.
What did people think? Here are a few words from some guests:
“Nicolas Teichrob’s summer art show Spun Spectra / SoundGarden was set in the temperate rainforest woods of Roberts Creek and open after dark. The Forest was respectfully transformed into an outdoor gallery presenting a series of exceptionally well executed illuminated photographic panels. The panels emanated the creative sounds of Giorgio Magnanensi which were perfectly understated and complimentary to the environmental experience. The show was a highly observed education in the the natural B.C. majesty, highly sensitively presented , viscerally engaging and enjoyable.I hope to see this show travel through other forest communities of BC to allow others the opportunity to share the experience.” – Lee Roberts, Artist and Curator, Goldmoss Gallery
“The Spun Spectra show was a memorable experience. It was very unique to enter a familiar forest at night, and see it totally transformed with the different visual and sonic effects. It made you experience the forest in a totally different way.” – Nathan Loewen
“I loved the smell of the cedar and other wood, the music echoing the feel and sound of the forest and stream, and the imagery based on spider-web prisms. Thank you for allowing us access to your land for our visual and auditory delight!” – Janice Williams
“Spun spectra was an incredible example of the beauty of light we rarely see. A visual feast for the brain. It opened my eyes to the refracted light available to us all the time thanks to these amazing orb weaving spiders. I see web rainbows everywhere now.” – Mark Goerzen
“Spun spectra blew my mind. Images, sound scapes, projections that took my brain to a completely unexpected zone. Surprises and challenges around every corner. This show absolutely NEEDS to be seen. I fully expect to never see anything like it ever again. ” – Athan Merrick
“The show shifted how I felt at the moment, as if to suddenly find yourself immersed in a book you can taste: the dark and natural environment, enhanced by Giorgio’s psychedelic soundscape, and of course the glowing mystery and magic of Nic’s colourful spiderweb images. There was clearly a sense of disbelief and discovery among viewers: both the wonder, and in a strange way the weakness, of the spiderweb images is the surprise that they’re not altered, that they’re actual images of spiderwebs, merely taken from a perspective, and in a light, often overlooked. ” – Jason Mannings
We are working on more shows and would love to bring this to a gallery near you, indoor or outdoor, summer or winter! Please get in touch if interested in this installation.
A grand thanks to the BC Arts Council for providing support for Spun Spectra with a Project Assistance for Media Artists Grant. Without their support and the support of the art community around me, this series would still be sitting on hard drives collecting dust. — Nicolas