Artist transforms the Portland Building Installation Space

Synopsis: Artist John Paul Gardner will kick off a new season of installations at the Portland Building by transforming the space with a matrix of tightly strung and precisely laid out monofilament lines. The resulting spatial fields that Gardner creates appear to float in space and shift and realign as the viewer moves about the periphery of the room.

“My goal is to create moments that ask the viewer to question what they are looking at, what they are surrounded by.” –John Paul Gardner

About the Artist: John Paul Gardner’s installation work over the past year has focused on the transformation of room sized spaces by filling them with multiple layers of red monofilament line stretched between the walls. Hundreds of these thin, taught nylon threads are stacked in matrices that echo or complement the architecture of the room. The artist then skillfully manipulates the lighting to draw attention to the intersections defined in space where lines cross and overlap. The end result is the creation of new spatial fields that highlight moments of articulation, conjunction and clarity as their elements appear and dissolve in mid-air in response to the viewer’s position on the periphery. The resulting experience engages and distorts human perception by confusing the distance and dimension of line.

About the temporary installation space: Each year the Portland Building Installation Space series reserves three exhibition opportunities for advanced students pursuing a career in fine art. The format and presentation requirements are the same as for installations produced by established professional artists, but RACC has created this separate eligibility category to help introduce emerging talents to the world of public art. Gardner, who is a Master of Fine Arts candidate at the University of Oregon, leads off a new season of installations at the Portland Building that will showcase the work of three student artists and six professional artists. For more information and a website that provides images, proposals and statements of all the Portland Building installations featured since 1994 go to www.racc.org/installationspace, to see more of John Paul Gardner’s work visit www.johnpaulgardner.com.

Viewing hours: 7 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday. The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland. Runs throgh April 16, 2010.