Exhibit Info
Traverse is an immersive, interactive exhibit that considers the spaces between us and nature. Katya Roberts invites the viewer to embark on a metaphorical journey of natural and human forces and the extent to which they are both at odds with each other and at times in harmony. With music by Chris Kostelec, they pose the questions, If landscapes could speak, what would they say to us? If they do speak, where can we hear them? With imagery inspired by Iceland's geologically active landscapes, Iceland becomes the backdrop against which Katya Roberts proposes we evaluate our relationship to the landscapes we traverse. Featured on display at the Rochester Art Center in 2018.
More about the artist on her website: https://www.katyaroberts.com/
Chris' Contribution/Artist Statement
“Traverse” is the result of a collaboration between Katya Roberts and Chris Kostelec. Chris was invited by Katya to combine sound devices with her installation work to create an interactive, immersive experience between the viewer, the objects, and the resulting sound. When Chris was presented with Katya's work, he was immediately drawn to her plaster objects. They appeared to him as they were discarded man-made objects that were now overgrown or reclaimed by natural processes. He imagined them as seemingly sacred objects, objects like one would find while exploring ancient ruins of a long lost group of people. However, the viewer may attribute more worth to the object that originally was imbued by the civilization.
With that conceptual framework in mind, time passes and the original form and function of the man-made objects deteriorates and by result natural processes move to take its place. The result is a reclamation of the materials it once consisted of before it was arranged by electrical and chemical constructions. What's left is an object consisting of both natural and artificial properties.
Assuming these devices spoke or made sound, what are the sounds both prior to and after reclamation? Is the reclamation a corruption of the original design or is it a return to a purer form? These voices are not confined to their own spaces, which results in a rhythmic call and response between them. They breathe and cry out, but to necessarily to us.
Through physical interaction the give and take between nature and ourselves becomes explicit. Does our interaction result as an intrusion or a harmonic response? Once processes have begun, how much are we able to change them? Is our interaction necessary?
Chris Kostelec is a multimedia artist whose medium is primarily within the digital realm. His latest focus has been on sound art with an emphasis on interactivity between the viewer and sound objects. Chris is interested in exploring the perception that electronic sounds are seen as robotic or cold and he aims to recontextualize these preconceptions with work that humanizes both the sound and the object themselves. His aim is that the participant’s experience will be a result that is both playful and unexpected.
More information about RAC: http://rochesterartcenter.org/
This exhibition was supported through an Artist Initiative grant from Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.