LAUNCH PAD GALLERY - YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
5-186-8 ISHIKAWACHO, YOKOHAMA 045-641-1511 金-月 13:00-19:00 / FRI-MON 13:00~19:00
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CALVIN BURCHFIEL

Exhibition of “Contemplating Crows” by artist Calvin Burchfiel. The exhibit consisted of hand crafted masks, a video performance and a natural expanding polaroid photo gallery of guests wearing his masks.

CONTEMPLATING CROWS「烏の瞑想」
カルビン・バーチフィール
CALVIN BURCHFIEL

04.20.2018 - 04.30.2018

ARTIST RECEPTION 04.21.2018  19:00 - 22:00

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Contemplating Crows

Aqueous lines spread across the curves of the masks like a nervous system, blooming, condensing and cascading over the surface inferring both the natural and artificial. Neon colors and dull hues swirl and combine while maintaining stark contrast, suggesting the overlay of humanity with nature, the digital with the analogue, and the futuristic with the ancient. The repetition of the masks contrast with the randomly varying patterns over the surface of each. Unity and conformity clash with individuality and chaos through their arrangement. 

The surfaces of the masks invoke Japanese mythology, while the undulating and colorful patterns obscure their shape. A bizarre three-dimensional portal to an unfamiliar world, the dysmorphic faces of the masks transport us and remove our illusions of humanity. Ancient wisdom fuses with the modern and the wearer is compelled to perform, possessed by the spirit of the mask. By incorporating the masks into live performances, both the performers and the audience are engaged in celebrating unity through contrast. 

 

烏の瞑想

神経経路のように仮面の曲線に沿って水紋が全面に広がる、表面から自然にあるいは人工的に膨らんだり縮んだりさせながら流れ落ちたのだろう。自然を上塗りする人間性、デジタルとアナログ、未来と古代などを想起させるネオンカラーと暗い色が、渦になったり合わさったりして、はっきりとしたコントラストを作る。仮面の連続性はそれぞれの表面を覆うランダムで多様な模様とよい対比を醸し出し、配置を通して統一と相似が個性と混沌と衝突する。

曲がりくねったカラフルな模様は形を曖昧にさせると同時に仮面の表面は日本の伝説を想起させる。奇妙な立体の未知の世界への入口、仮面の異形の相貌は私たちをどこかへと運び人間性の幻想を取り去る。現代と融合した古代の知恵、仮面の魂に取り憑かれ、仮面をつけた者にパフォーマンスを強いる。パフォーマンスに仮面を取り入れることで、演者も鑑賞者も対比を通した団結を祝うことに関わりあうことになる。

 
 

VISITOR POLAROIDS

Interactive portion of the exhibition. Visitors were able to select a mask and be photographed with an small instant camera (we used Fujifilm Instax seen in the final photo). Even though everyone is wearing a mask, it's interesting to try and guess a person's personality by their body language.