REVA STONE: IMAGINAL EXPRESSION
Surrey Art Gallery, January 14 – April 2, 2006
Imaginal Expression, Reva Stone’s viewer activated, computer-generated, real-time animated, 3D environment opened at the Surrey Art Gallery on January 14, 2006. Having spent the last 10 years investigating “how we engage in the modeling, simulating, engineering and manipulation of biological life”, Stone interrogates the ambiguous realm between what is constructed and what is natural (Davison). Mirroring genetic science where software is capable of taking biotic code and converting it into a 3D image, Stone constructs and then animates her interpretation of 3D protein molecules. To reconnect this esoteric concept to the physicality of the human body, she covers their surfaces with images such as blood, hair, bruises, or scars. Using real time animation Stone creates an environment where these visual entities, projected onto the gallery wall, travel and morph in response to the movement of viewers. Possibly the most impressive impact of this exhibition is the many levels of experience that the viewer, as participant, undergoes.
When I first entered the gallery space I was struck by the nature of surprise and exploration that I felt as I ventured down the path of testing and experiencing the impact of my movements on the work. Slowly, I began to recognize some of its dynamics. When I moved some of the images followed, and at the same time other images moved in response to other viewers. Simultaneously, a morphing was underway with surface images shifting and groupings of images merging into something new. When I physically moved closer to other viewers, again new forms of morphing occurred. This aspect of the exhibition created an enjoyable sense of playfulness and a certain type of kinship with other gallery goers. For me, this was a sensation that further underlined the general premise of Stone’s examination of what is human and what is not, what is organic and what is constructed. Eventually, it became apparent that similar to other living beings, the entities projected on the gallery wall never seemed to repeat themselves, they were literally in a constant state of change.
Stone’s work also pushes the viewer to understand and question what her intentions are; questions she is addressing and positions she is challenging. As an example, the existence and shifting of images such as bruises, scars, and blood, which are placed on the surface of the molecules, seem to relate more to the surface of the human body, challenging the viewer to wonder what they represent. Perhaps Stone’s intention was to contrast the microscopic realm of scientific investigation within areas such as genetic engineering, a science that holds many hidden truths for the average person, against the physicality of the human body’s surface, something that is organic and more understandable. Or, perhaps they represent battle scars that signify the ongoing challenges that we face in coming to terms with transformations in science during such rapidly changing times. Imaginal Expression certainly succeeds at being thought provoking.
Pondering where this work situates itself within the realm of digital art I find it resonates well in a number of areas. Imaginal Expression is an obvious and delightful form of interactive art that anyone can participate in. As a form of synthetic realism, we know Stone’s work is constructed but at the same time, it is in many ways recognizable and almost seems real. Our sense of reality is tested in that we are familiar with constructed images and environments that are increasingly represented through television, print, film and other media. TV programs such as CSI, which investigates fictional crimes through the supposed analysis of the human body, uses constructed and animated micro-organisms to further their plot. Articles and programs focusing on the topic of science also use these types of images as supporting visual data. As such, the authenticity of the constructed image begins to hold some truth for the viewer.
Stone’s idea of artificial life-forms that are created through technology is also one that corresponds with works by artists such as Dieter Huber who creates mutated, (but somehow familiar) plants, humans and landscapes which reveal a connection between organic form and science. Both Stone’s and Huber’s creations are presented in a very crisp, clean and almost scientific manner resulting in the “establishment of a connection to genetic engineering, biotechnology, and changing notions of the organism in the age of new technologies” (Paul 46).
Overall, Reva Stone’s Imaginal Expression is both an intellectual and physical experience that leaves one wanting more. In reading Liane Davison’s curatorial statement, which describes how the molecules degenerate over time, after the gallery space is emptied of participating viewers, I wonder if Stone’s last farewell is one that suggests that without human contact, we too will degenerate (Davison). Just a thought.
Davison, Liane. Reva Stone: Imaginal Expression. Curatorial Statement, Surrey Art Gallery. 2006
Paul, Christiane. Digital Art. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003. 46
