Streaming Now…
July 24–October 15, 2023
Everyone’s Time Has Equal Value by Selina Trepp
Monday–Friday: 4–8pm
Saturday: 1–7pm
May 3–October 15, 2023
James Adamson & Ingrid Wasmer from Knox College in partnership with Associated Colleges of Illinois
Sunday: 1–7pm
March 22–October 15, 2023
Unicorn in the Garden
by Jonathan Monaghan
Monday–Friday: 8–10pm
Saturday: 7–10pm
Everyone’s Time Has Equal Value by Selina Trepp
FROM THE ARTIST
As with all of my work, the stop motion was made following my concept of “I work with what I have”. Since 2012 I have limited myself to only using materials already present in my studio to create my artworks. This mode of working forces me to be very creative in my use of materials, as everything is finite. I try to pull the most out of the least, and succeed by investing time, love and effort.
For this 150 Media Stream commission, I was considering the function and architecture of the lobby of 150 N Riverside. The space has to transmit what is going on in the building, something powerful, as well as function as a transitional space, it is designed for people coming and going to and from work, a lobby is traversed to go from A to B, the only people there all day are the lobby workers. Its architecture is bright, light, and imposingly spacious and tall, hard surfaces, grays, whites, silvers, and landscaping is visible through the glass walls mixed with the reflection of the interior.
I wanted my piece to contrast and compliment this aesthetic, to create a parallel reality, that is also a transitional space. I wanted the work to feel warm, colorful, handmade, used, soft, attainable. The design of the video blades as the carrier of the work allows the energy of my work to be intertwined with the preexisting architecture to create a new balance in which both co-exist. The animated sculptures walk into the building and end up in an animated space of work, and then when the piece loops, the walk direction flips and the sculptures now walk out of the building, heading home, which is work again for most of us (housekeeping is work too…).
The animation was made using traditional stop motion techniques. I built a large set, all the kinetic sculptures that are in it, set up the camera, and then the process is to take a picture, move everything very slightly, then take another picture and so on. It is shot at 13f/sec. This means it took over 2000 pictures to make this film. For this piece I also worked with mirrors, using them to expand the space and double up motion. This allowed me to have things connect in unexpected ways. It creates a visual puzzle.
Selina Trepp (Swiss/American b.1973) is an artist researching economy and improvisation. She works across media, combining performance, installation, painting, and sculpture to create intricate setups that result in photos, drawings and animations. In addition to studio-based work, Selina is active in the experimental music scene. In this context she sings and plays the videolah, her midi controlled video synthesizer, to create projected animations in real-time as visual music. Upcoming commissions and exhibitions include permanent video walls at the O’Hare International terminal arrival corridor and 49 South Van Ness in San Francisco, site-specific video projection at the 21C Hotel in Chicago, Life Cycles at DePaul Art Museum and ABSTRACTION + LOVE at Lubnezik Art Center in Michigan City.
James Adamson & Ingrid Wasmer from Knox College,
in partnership with Associated Colleges of Illinois
“Full-quieting” by James Adamson & Ingrid Wasmer (under the mentorship of Tim Stedman) explores the evolution of artmaking within mass visual culture, with a combination of paint-on-glass animation, claymation, and video elements. The animated sequences’ fervent viscerality underscores the physicality of an intuitive artmaking process, while the video elements document this process, depicting various stages of creation. James Adamson and Ingrid Wasmer’s self-recorded videos simulate the aestheticized self-documentations of artistic processes commonly seen in social media. Full-quieting explores the dysmorphic effects of such performative documentation on the artist and viewer with the repetition, saturation, and distortion of the piece’s video elements. Ultimately, Adamson and Wasmer’s work acts as both an intimate reflection on the relationship of an artist to their practice as well as a critical musing on the evolving nature of this relationship in a culture of digital consumption. The project was selected as the winning proposal for the 150 Media Stream Contest for Digital Art in Chicago, in partnership with Associated Colleges of Illinois.
To learn more about the project and 150 Media Stream’s educational initiative, read Knox College’s article here.
James Adamson is a multimedia artist from Elk Ridge, Utah, based in Galesburg, Illinois. He is a Junior at Knox College studying Studio Art, Graphic Design, and Computer Science. His artistic practice primarily includes ceramic and multimedia sculpture, painting, graphic design, and drawing. He is a member of X Visual Arts Journal at Knox College and the Editor of the 2023 issue.
Ingrid Wasmer is a multimedia artist based in Chicago, IL. Ingrid graduated in 2022 from Knox College with a B.A. in Studio Art and Psychology. She works primarily with painting, drawing, and printmaking, interested in exploring themes of memory and perception. Currently, Ingrid is collaborating with Lily Lauver, poet & manager of Prairie Moon Press, Galesburg, IL, on a book project Cherry Prairie Mary Seminary, set to release in the early summer 2023.
Tim Stedman is a graphic designer, artist, and educator. He earned his MFA in graphic design at UIC School of Design in 2011. Stedman is Assistant Professor of Art at Knox College—a private liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois. His primary teaching focus is design and new media. He also teaches in various interdisciplinary initiatives including a distinctive program in entrepreneurship known as StartUp Term. Prior to completing his formal education and advanced degree, Stedman worked in Los Angeles as a music executive, art director, and designer. His work has received numerous awards including a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package.
Unicorn in the Garden by Jonathan Monaghan
Unicorn in the Garden is a mesmerizing 3D-animated dreamscape that interweaves ancient mythological symbols with contemporary elements. Inspired by the iconic medieval Unicorn Tapestries, the artwork reimagines the tapestries as a hypnotic collage that invites the viewer to explore and decode the layers of symbolism and meaning embedded within. The piece’s intricate attention to detail and the seamless interplay between the historical and the modern create a dynamic and immersive experience that challenges our perception of time and history while exploring the rich visual language of myth and storytelling.
The piece’s intricate attention to detail and the seamless interplay between the historical and the modern create a dynamic and immersive experience that challenges our perception of time and history while exploring the rich visual language of myth and storytelling.
Drawing inspiration from disparate sources such as ancient mythologies, commercial architecture, and corporate logos, Jonathan Monaghan creates a mythical world where the boundaries between nature and technology are subverted in fantastical and often satirical ways. Monaghan adopts the glossy, computer-generated aesthetics and techniques used in video games and advertisements. While this familiarity provides an accessible entry point, the works also probe the viewers’ anxieties about the digital landscape and its potential consequences. Through his critical reflections, Monaghan challenges us to confront our relationship with technology and its ecological impact.
“Traditionally, mythological stories have been born out of a desire to understand humans’ relationship to the natural world and are deeply connected to the human psyche. Fantastical and otherworldly visions of mythical creatures sometimes offer the best channel to understanding the complexities of human nature and the inhabited world. Today, in the midst of an often dehumanizing technological experience, my work aims to answer the question: what would a contemporary mythology look like?” —Jonathan Monaghan
Monaghan’s work has been exhibited at the Sundance Film Festival and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue Italia, and The Washington Post.
Visit jonathanmonoghan.com to learn more about Jonathan Monaghan’s work.
Streaming Next… Lisa Gwilliam & Ray Sweeten
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