ISSUED: 1 November 2017
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — An exhibit by Shepherd University’s FASTEnER Lab 3D fabrication manager, Kevin Dartt, titled “Physical Information” will be on exhibit at the Engine Room Art Space, 36 Potomac St., Hagerstown, Maryland, through December 3. An opening reception, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Friday, November 3, from 6-9 p.m. at the gallery.
The work in the exhibit consists of five wall-size reliefs that feel like three dimensional drawings. Dartt made the pieces using computer-aided modeling techniques and then cut them out of foam with a CNC router. He said the material isn’t immediately recognizable because it has been painted with graphite, giving the pieces a drawn quality.
“The work is exciting for me because I rarely do relief work, or drawing, or work with these materials,” Dartt said.
The exhibition examines how the environment between artificial, virtual, and natural landscapes is changing.
“An artificial environment is something that is human made to support our current lifestyle, while the virtual environment is made up of a computer and network infrastructure to support a culture of digital fabrication and social media,” Dartt said. “As we progress into the 21st century our focus has moved away from the natural environment. The pieces in the show are representations of natural objects, but are made using algorithms and digital processes. This starts to question the balance between the natural, artificial, and virtual.
Engine Room Art Space hours are Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday noon-5 p.m.
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