Photos courtesy of Will Shively
More than two years ago, Shadowbox Live partnered with the Columbus Museum of Art to create a multidisciplinary experience that seamlessly blended visual and performing arts.
That show was Gallery of Echoes. And given the incredible popularity it generated, it was a hard act to follow.
But Shadowbox is nothing if not up for a challenge.
The next installment of Gallery of Echoes: The ColumbUS Public Art Project, is the result of a collaborative effort between Shadowbox and 20 local artists. The performance troupe’s house band, Light, has created original music inspired by the pieces created by those artists’ works.
“The idea was to reach out to the individual artist and see what they are inspired by,” says Shadowbox Artistic Director Stev Guyer. “We didn’t want to curate content, just quality.”
Working with each individual artist this year has been, Guyer says, “infinitely more challenging” than the last iteration, which entailed collaboration with just the museum. Those 20 artists were culled from about 75 submissions.
“Personally, I am very excited about the celebration of Columbus and the quality of the work coming out of this city,” says Stacie Boord, Shadowbox executive director of community relations.
Artwork will be displayed on a massive digital screen nearly 30 feet in length.
“The great thing about this screen is that it offers a chance to explore the tiniest details, down to a corner of the piece,” says Boord.
What would normally stand alone as a static piece of artwork becomes part of a performance art piece – part of a dreamscape created by the enlarged artworks and live, symbiotic music.
“One of the things I love about and am so moved by with this genre is that the big screen becomes part of the artwork,” says Boord. “This isn’t just a slideshow with a musical background. This is another dimension.”
Local photographer Buzz Crisafulli contributed one of the show’s featured works, titled Fall Reflections. In the photo, an inverted row of bare trees is mirrored in a still pool of water along the Olentangy River, with a submerged bed of leaves in the foreground.
“I doubt that many artists have been involved in something like this,” says Crisafulli. “It’s a unique situation to have original music written for the piece. … I’ve heard a sample (of the music), and they nailed that feeling.”
Guyer and his son, Gabe – both members of Light – met with all the artists and took everything they learned back to the band.
Gallery of Echoes: The ColumbUS Public Art Project will be presented outside at Bicentennial Park June 7, on the Franklinton Stage at the Columbus Arts Festival June 10 and 11, and inside at the Shadowbox venue from June 15-19.
Jessica Williams is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
RELATED READS
