October 28, 2009

Distortions: Contemporary Media, Art from Mexico

Distortions’ is the most exciting collection of contemporary art I have seen at The College of New Jersey in my four years here as a student. Each artist created an interactive installation. Their work in the gallery is connected in theme and visual continuity. On the night of the opening, we gathered around the panel of artists and with the help of Ricardo Miranda we investigated the meaning of their work.
Ivan Abreu invited us to enjoy his ingenious use of technology. With much thought he used the anthem of Mexico and its fragile history. By making a mold of the Mexican anthem LP album, he created an ice record. Then he played this ice LP on a turntable. In the beginning you could hear the anthem, but soon the groves started to melt and the sound changed. An eerie sound of ice scrapping and cracking took over. (Like the sound you my have experienced while driving a car that is losing control on ice.) The performance sound was loud and often uncomfortable. The concept was magnificent and very meaningful.