Garden of Digital Delights, 2011

Ellen Sandor and (art)n
Chris Kemp, Diana Torres, Michael Cone, and Janine From

24''x24''x24'' Digital PHSCologram Sculpture

"Man Ray's solarized photographs of calla lilies not only parallel Mapplethorpe's own interest in floral still lifes, but in experimenting with photographic techniques and procedures as well."

Richard Marshall

Garden of Digital Delights is an homage to five unique artists who were inspired by flora culture, spanning innovations in vintage photographic processes, such as those explored by Man Ray, Imogen Cunningham and Robert Mapplethorpe, juxtaposed with video installation art by Nam June Paik and the computer generated imagery of Charles Csuri. Each panel is part of an electronic bouquet that lyrically connects these artists with nature, featuring virtual orchids and calla lilies that are illuminated as a digital sculpture reminiscent of Paik's Garden of Earthly Delights.

Man Ray is considered the father of process oriented photography, whose innovations with solarizing techniques revealed new ways to see the world with a painterly vision. Imogen Cunningham is a preeminent American photographer from California who worked with Edward Curtis and was a friend of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston who became known for her nude studies and botanical portraits. Robert Mapplethorpe is renowned for his photographs of male and female portraits and nude studies, and was inspired by Cunningham to capture the form of flowers, portraying them as natural sculptures with his camera. Nam June Paik is considered the father of video art for combining moving images with video and TV monitors that are often displayed as works of public sculpture. Charles Csuri is a pioneer of computer graphics art who was the first artist to receive a grant from the National Science Foundation. Previous collaborations with (art)n include Wondrous Spring, featuring an intimate floral study of color and light.

References

"Garden of Earthly Delights," 1986, Nam June Paik, mixed media sculpture with seven TV sets, inscribed in Chinese "Electronic Garden" from the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Collection

"Calla Lillies," ca. 1930, Man Ray, 13 3/8" x 10 3/8" Vintage solarized gelatin silver print from the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Collection

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Sculpture
• 5