"Encinitas, CA–Lux Art Institute is pleased to announce How neat the fold of time, How easily the crease forgotten, an interactive, app-based exhibition of sculptural works by Cammie Staros, viewable from July 11 until August 22, 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the parameters by which we can safely access art. In response to these conditions, Staros, along with Lux staff, chose to mount her work in a re-imagined, virtual version of Lux’s exhibition space.
"For the past several years I've been considering the museum as a future ruin, abandoned by humans and reclaimed by nature. As the posited idea of a deserted exhibition became a current reality, it presented real-world obstacles and opportunities for the planned presentation of my work. Lux's proposal to design a virtual show allowed me to engage an imagined future that now feels all too present.” -Cammie Staros
In this exhibition, Staros presents her sculptures in a virtual Lux gallery, submerged beneath risen seas. Her sculptures reflect a long standing interest in ancient Greek vases and their museological framing as origin points in the story of Western Art History. Classical amphorae, or ceramic Greek containers, were themselves vehicles for storytelling, but Staros eschews narrative depiction in favor of a more subtle and reduced use of symbols and patterns. In this way, she draws a through line between classical antiquities, modern art, and contemporary culture. Although Staros tends not to use figures as design elements, many of her sculpted forms are themselves anthropomorphic and seem vulnerable to the pleasures and pains of the body.
Using augmented reality, viewers can engage Staros’ work through two different environments. They can place the objects in their own home, or they can enter a virtual door to an oceanic environment within Lux’s virtual walls. Here, they can explore the submerged exhibition which calls to mind both underwater discoveries and the threat of rising tides. Staros folds history in on itself, simultaneously considering an imagined past and a forgotten future.
“In this time of lack of physical access to museums, we simultaneously miss the tangibility of objects and question their importance. This app will allow visitors to bring the museum to their home and walk through an imagined gallery exhibition,” describes Andrew Utt, Lux’s Executive Director. “This app exemplifies our commitment to accessibility and inclusion that is fundamental to our mission and represents the importance of engaging with diverse audiences outside of our immediate community.”
The free App will be available in both the iPhone and Android app stores and will provide equal access to our exhibits for all who have a smartphone or tablet.
The Lux App is limited to smartphones with minimum requirements. If using it on an iPhone, it must be version 6s or higher. If using it on an Android, it must use OS version 8.0 or higher on select devices.
Lectures and On AiR virtual programming will be presented over the course of the exhibit as part of Lux’s Art Access digital platform. Check the Lux Art Institute website for more information."
- LUX
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