do what the clouds do (for Charles Wright)

Starts: January 20, 2011
Ends: February 5, 2011

Once, it had seemed
the objects mattered: the light was to see them by.
Examined, they yielded nothing, nothing real.
— From William Bronk’s poem, “The Annihilation of Matter”

Charles Matson Lume’s installation invites viewers to see light’s ability to unexpectedly change a space, and consider, in a more poetic way, one’s relationship to a space.

With an economy of means, via reflective paper arranged on the floor, light is reflected onto the gallery’s walls and ceiling. Light and shadows change with visitors as they interact with the installation and move through its space. Movement or stillness determines experiences in the space. In a culture that seems more and more disembodied, this installation attempts to give viewers an opportunity to consider how their bodies affect space and light.

Ultimately, the installation’s goal is aliveness, both mentally and bodily. Indeed, to feel and know more wholly through a heighted sense of one’s presence. This is mostly based on the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness. Additionally, Joseph Campbell touches the heart of the matter in his text, Power of Myth:

People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.

Charles Matson Lume has a tandem Portals on Western exhibition. His installations work with light and everyday materials, while playing on the idea of public and private installation spaces. Lume has been exhibited all over the country and in galleries in Ireland and Norway. He teaches art at University of Wisconsin-Stout and was a 2002-03 Jerome Foundation Fellow.

Reception

Thursday, January 20, 6 – 8 p.m.

Gallery Talk

Moderated by Diane Mullin, Curator, Weisman Art Museum
Thursday, January 27,  6:00 p.m.

View Exhibition and Gallery Talk Slideshow

Exhibition Dates

January 21 -  February 5:  CVA Gallery
January 21 - May 27: Portals on Western