Saturday, June 20th saw the opening of a new exhibition featuring the art of Second Life photographer and sculptor, Slatan Dryke.
A Palette of Timbres, hosted at Virtual Ability’s Cape Able Art Gallery, presents 27 images captured by Slatan together with a number of his still and animated sculptures. As might be taken from the title of the exhibition, each of the images on display features strong tonal colours which mark them as much as – if not more so – than their subject matter.
The result is a series of pictures, many of them of familiar places across Second Life, presented in the most striking of ways, where the choice of colour both projects a sense of texture and tone of mood – much as musical timbre is used to describe the deeper sense of tone and quality evidenced in the sound of music – light, dark, warm, bright, cool, and so on.
Of course, we’re all familiar with seeing colour in art, responding to its use and the way in which the artist makes use of his or her palette; but within several of the pieces here, there is the deliberate over-emphasis of certain colours and shades to present the subject matter in such a way as to almost give it a voice, a sound; perhaps even a harmony. Thus, the observer is offered a glimpse into the world of psychoacoustics which is in many respects, entirely in keeping with the place in which the exhibition is being hosted.
Which is also not to say that one needs to be deeply immersed in the theory of timbre and sound or the use of colour in order to appreciate the pieces on display. Slatan has a fine eye for composition – as fine a composer’s ear for music, one might be tempted to say – and his images are exquisite in their detail and beauty, which makes them tempting additions for any collection or home.
Should you be interested in owning a copy of any of the pieces displayed, please keep in mind that Virtual Ability is a non-profit 501(c)3 organisation, and is prevented from allowing third parties such as artists from selling directly on their regions; so please contact Slatan directly.
While visiting Cape Able, do make sure you visit the resource centre there, and learn more about Virtual Ability’s work with the hearing impaired, including their Deaf Chat Coffee house – see iSke’s comments following this article on the work there. Also be sure to visit the Fenimore Art Museum, which is currently hosting an exhibition of the work of American artist and illustrator, Maxfield Parrish.
SLurl Details
- Cape Able Art Gallery and the Fenimore Art Museum (Rated: Moderate)
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