Pushing the Boundaries

By: Rachel Marx

"image"
Rory Mahon’s "My Winter Oak" will be on view at the Straube Center.


   To many, the word "art" evokes Titian more than technology. But hey, Titian used techniques in the early 16th century that were considered to be cutting-edge — literally,
as he was making prints of his woodcuts. Why shouldn’t we use computers?
   The art of the future — make that the present — will
be displayed in the Digital Arts Celebration at the Straube Center Sept. 8 through Oct. 6. More than 15 artists will be exhibiting some 50 works, both two- and three-dimensional, that are the product of digital media. Cameras, computers and the Internet played a part in the design, composition, enhancement or manipulation of these pieces. A presentation by the Johnson Atelier of Hamilton will include a demonstration of its sculptural techniques, and all visitors to the show will be greeted with a surprise gift and the chance to win lunch with Win Straube. Managing member of the Straube Group of Companies and the founder of the eponymous Center, Mr. Straube provided for an exhibition space amid the office suites in Pennington, as he is an art enthusiast himself.
   Case in point: according to Rory Mahon, an artist whose work will be in the Digital Arts Celebration, Mr. Straube has previously collected the work of Charlotte Sommer-Landgraf, a sculptor from Germany whom Mr. Mahon calls "a pioneer in digital art." Some
of her computer graphics and computer collages are hanging permanently in one
of the hallways, printed with the aid of the mathematical formulas developed
by her husband, former president of the Technical University of Dresden. With
digital art, it’s not simply a matter of picking up a paintbrush.
   In fact, Mr. Mahon explains, there are two schools of thought in the photography world. "Some people never abandon their darkrooms and go the digital route," he says. "A subset of these think it’s cheating, taking the easy way out, but I would disagree — there’s a lot of technique to navigate through." But by incorporating the technology upon which our modern world is based, artists reap great rewards. He defines the work in the show to be "photography
that pushes the boundaries by really using digital tools."
   In addition to both color and black-and-white photography, digital sculpture will bring the exhibition into another dimension. Mr. Mahon describes the digital process at the Johnson Atelier, which "scans objects that would go into a computer and by translating the coordinates carves a sculpture out of wood." A
Powerpoint presentation at the Celebration will show this process, while
the Digital Stone Project will have samples alongside those of the Atelier. "They’re both really fascinating in dynamic," Mr. Mahon says. "…in
fact, sometimes it’s even a combination of new and old techniques. Sometimes
they get out a chisel and hammer, old-world style."
   In a world where everything from toothbrushes to children’s toys are electronic, the adage "art imitates life" is a curious one to ponder. In George Braque’s point of view, "The function of art is to disturb. Science reassures." Combining
the two entities may be incomprehensible, even reprehensible, to some.
   However, Mr. Mahon says, the transition of art to the 21st century need not be unnerving. "Computers are all around us." For photographers, he says, "If you’re working at your computer, you’re considered to be working in the digital dark room." Although certain photographers still subscribe to the old methodologies or use both new and old at once, "The
digital realm had enough for me."
Digital Art Celebration will be on view at the Straube Center, Building A, One Straube Center Blvd., Pennington, Sept. 8-Oct. 6. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m; www.straubecenter.com

— Rachel
Marx