lamp. camera. action! Classic threads of performance art, but at SAGE Community Art, these are key elements of our upcoming exhibition “Light Spill” by Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder. The two New York artists have been collaborators since 2000.
Gibson and Recoder combine the rich heritage of experimental cinema, particularly its structuralist and materialistic styles, with the multimodal sensibility of extended cinema that emerged in the 1960s, in which moving imagery is woven into performance, sound, and audience interaction. Their larger work explores this gap between avant-garde film practice and the incorporation of moving images and time-based media into art galleries.
In 2019, SAGE was delighted to host this fantastic duo as part of the Jentel Presents during the artists’ residency at the Jentel Artist Residency. The process and story of how Gibson and Recoder worked together for the installation within a gallery or museum space really resonated with SAGE. One of the most striking pieces in their installation collection is “Light Spill” – the eponymous work for the upcoming exhibition.
In an artist statement from Gibson and Recoder, they shared their approach and concept: “In our installations, we use projected light to express space and time. Film projectors and celluloid are the material bases on which we build light and shadow, which are Fundamental properties of film. These things are deeply imbued with the history of viewing in the darkness of the theater. To remove it from the darkness is to drown this history and cast a certain light on it. A certain exposure. The film comes from a closed room The native darkness in (the camera obscura) transforms into the uncanny openness and unfamiliar lighting of the installation, the light spilling out. We are exploring this transformation, articulating displacement, reinventing the optomechanics of a particular medium alienation. Cinematic art, yes . But more timely: to be an art film. That’s our upcoming attraction.”
“Light Spill”‘s unique and contemporary installation highlights some of the steps SAGE Community Arts will take to further expand viewing opportunities within the exhibit hall. Offering exhibitions showcasing a diverse collection of traditional and highly regarded nationally judged exhibitions, as well as contemporary and progressive exhibitions, the SAGE Gallery provides a venue for the community to see the expansive range of visual arts.
“Light Spill” will open to the public on September 13, and the exhibition will run until October 15. Gibson and Recoder will give an artist talk on September 14th and meet up on September 15th.
