Reading

Video Arcane at The Metro Gallery Dec. 18

Previous Story

Everyone An Artist – an Art on Purpose Project

Next Story

Today is Frank Zappa’s Birthday!

Mining a Bowling Alley at the North Avenue Market
December 18th – January 11th

On Thursday, December 18, 6-9pm, “Video Arcane” will open an interactive exhibition where the audience is invited to create a live mix of video and animation projected on the Metro Gallery’s large windows facing Charles Street. The exhibition highlights part of Baltimore City’s treasured passed. Until1988, the upper floor of the North Avenue Market (Baltimore City) held a thriving duck pin bowling alley. In order to explore these nearly forgotten treasures,10 artists mined the bowley alley while animating, documenting and extracting audio from the site. The artists are Fellowship students from UMBC’s Imaging Research Center, mentored by interactive artist and Professor Lisa Moren. The students built light sensors that were attached to found objects scattered amongst bowling lanes, and viewers were invited to explore the dark space with flashlights. As light found its way to an object, a horizon of video began to mix and layer images and sounds where the bowling pins used to be. These sensors triggered a digital archive of video and animation that were created by the artists and displayed on 4 video projections. In addition to the flashlights triggering light sensors, a drum set and trumpet were rigged with trackpads and light sensors. When a drum was struck or a trumpet button was pressed, an audio clip from the archive was played over speakers.

For the opening of this exhibition, the artists will recreate the drum interface and invite viewers to ‘play’ video, animation and sound from the site onto the Metro Gallery’s large windows facing Charles Street. Objects from the bowling alley have been reinterpreted by the artists and are on display in the gallery, along with 360 degree panoramic prints, and a 10 minute video documenting the interactive flashlights and site specific video, animation and audio produced for this project.

Technical: Flat track pads and photocells, which were handmade and manufactured from Infusion Systems and Making Things. Gluion and Open Sound Control (OSC), produced by Sukandar Kartadinata. Isadora interactive mixing software, programmed by Mark Coniglio.

Curated by Lisa Moren

Artists:

Agnes Asplund

Elena DeBold

Evan Devine

Alex Ehrensberger

Dan Frick

Frank Orellana

Ernest Powell

Abbey Salvo

Tommy Truong

Megan Zlock

This exhibition was made possible with the generous support from UMBC’s Imaging Research Center. We wish to also thank UMBC’s Department of Visual Arts Film/Video Cage for additional equipment.

Very special thanks to Michael Shecter and Carolyn McGuire-Frenkil.

Questions about this project can be directed to:

Lisa Moren, [email protected], 410 412 6482 (mobile)

Related Stories
Baltimore art news updates from independent & regional media

Giulietta Pinna's treasure trove, MDFF screenings, René Treviño's must-see exhibition, Remington and Hampden festival redux's, Doomsday Poe Read-a-thon, Open Works and Coppin State's new partnership–with reporting from Baltimore Banner, Fishbowl, Brew, and other independent news sources

Orange Grove Dance's new performance, executed by human dancers and choreographed with Artificial Intelligence (AI), in review.

A&I, which launched on Friday, April 19th at The Voxel in Baltimore, combines experimental dance, ambient soundscapes, minimalist stage design, and innovative lighting techniques with a high-tech concept.

The best weekly art openings, events, and calls for entry happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas.

25th Maryland Film Fest, Cindy of Arc at Baltimore Theatre Project, Sherry Insley at Cotyledon Arts, Asia North opening event, Baltimore Crankie Festival, AVAM's Kinetic Sculpture Race -- PLUS SOLOS 2025 call for proposals at MOCA Arlington and more opportunities for exhibits and residencies!

This year the MdFF will emphasize emerging filmmakers and technologies, with an emphasis on local and global impact