Intricate Observations X2

INTRICATE OBSERVATIONS X 2 ANNET COUWENBERG + JANN ROSEN-QUERALT

THE SILBER ART GALLERY Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum | Goucher College

INTRICATE OBSERVATIONS X 2 ANNET COUWENBERG + JANN ROSEN-QUERALT

Annet Couwenberg Mudskipper Doilies and detail 2015 laser engraved rice paper, wooden frame 15” x 77” x 5” Photo credit: Dan Meyers

THE CURIOUS NATURE OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS What if artists were able to break away from the confines of traditional art ideologies, media, and constraints and allow their work and processes to create a platform for conversations, collaborations, and the exchange of ideas? The processes of Annet Couwenberg and Jann Rosen-Queralt—two artists who have been friends and colleagues for over 25 years—raise this question in a couple of ways. In the exhibition Intricate Observations x 2, both artists have turned their attention to imagining a world beneath the surface—both literally in turning the artists’ gaze to life underwater for inspiration, and also figuratively by considering the invisible mental process of discovery that is the undercurrent of artistic practice-based research.

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Their exploration with new technologies has created work that is difficult to categorize into traditional disciplines. The art objects in the exhibit are markers of time in the processes of these two artists. They are what we as an audience are invited to see. But beneath the surface and beyond the material lies a process that is driven by curiosity and a desire to build a conversation across disciplines.

The path that led to this collaborative exhibition began in the Digital Fabrication Studios, otherwise known as the dFab, at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where both of the artists worked. Although involved in separate explorations within their own practice, they would discuss the use of tools such as the laser cutter or CNC router or share advice to get the most out of software such as 3D Rhino or 123 Make. New technology seldom enters into the world fully realized. The full potential of software and hardware are discovered in the hand of practitioners—artists, scientists, architects, engineers, and others—who push the boundaries of the technology, discovering new, innovative uses and applications. The result of this casual yet important exchange between the two artists can be seen in this exhibit where works defy categorization.

With works driven and mediated by technology that push the boundaries beyond print, sculpture, or painting, the artists challenge us to find new meaning in the objects that have been created.

Rosen-Queralt and Couwenberg came to an interest in the ocean and the natural world from very different perspectives—the former drawn beneath the surface of the water by curiosity, the latter inspired by the wonder and study of the structure of ocean life. A comparison of their processes reveals an interesting question of the role art plays in developing our understanding of

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Jann Rosen-Queralt Unsung Heroes: Crinoids/Feather Stars, Comanthina schlegel 2016 umbrella frame and mount, digital inkjet print on banner nylon 52� diameter, 39� depth

Jann Rosen-Queralt Unsung Heroes: Nudibranchs, Berghia coerulescen 2016 umbrella frame and mount, digital inkjet print on banner nylon 52� diameter, 39� depth Photo credit: Marian Ochoa

the world and the importance of looking through the vantages of diverse lenses, including that of the artist. How might this perspective complement or enhance our understanding of science? How might we engage differently with the natural world? There are very subtle differences between the thought processes of both artists that suggest important characteristics of the creative process.

As an artist and citizen scientist, Rosen-Queralt’s process is one of discovery, diving to both see and experience a world that is so close to us yet so alien.

She seeks through her installations to convey her sense of wonder to others. As a field team member for the noted marine biologist Eugenie Clark, she studied the waters of the Bismarck Sea (Papua New Guinea), the Flores Sea (Indonesia), and the Atlantic Ocean (Andros Island, Bahamas). Despite the technical difficulty of photographing underwater, the photographs that are used in her work are her own. They are not appropriated. Her work explores the poetic and mythic aspects of the world that are often removed by scientific processes to help us connect with our intuitive self and not just our rational mind. Through hands-on investigation and personal observation, her process seeks to expose relationships, connections, and patterns revealing diversity, resiliency, and aquatic health. For example, the imagery for the series Unsung Heroes focuses on salt-water benthic-invertebrates and their role as indicator species, which are defining characteristics of a specific environment. Through digitally printed collages for umbrellas and laser cut 3-D forms, the artist reveals her interest in the sublime underwater ecosystem and invites us to experience with our bodies, not just our minds, by uniquely redefining the space. Her objective is to synthesize what she experiences, which in turn encourages others to think about their place in the world. She says,

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“Passive observers can develop into change agents armed with aesthetic information and scientific data.

Becoming aware of the sublime in nature is a way for people to identify, maintain, and conserve a place or environment. In the natural world when you learn something about the immediate subject at hand, a larger lesson plan creeps in. One of the things about studying the relationship between individual inhabitants is that by paying attention, I become aware of the entire ecosystem.”

Like her colleague, wonder drives Couwenberg’s process of discovery but with a shift in focus to the structure of aquatic life. Couwenberg fed her sense of wonder by applying to the Smithsonian’s Artist Research Program (SARF). There she worked with scientist Dr. Lynne Parenti, curator of the fish division at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. She used the museum’s imaging technology, X-rays, histological slide collections, and microscopic photography to comprehend the interdependent nature of the skeleton and the skin of fish. Through the museum collection and its curator, Couwenberg informed her perspective of the structural and physiological adaptation of fishes. Inspired by the wonder of the architecture of fish—the structural relationship between skeleton and skin—she uses the materials and software to explore structures and relationships between the surface and what lies beneath. The end result of this process is articulated in 2- and 3-dimensional forms for this exhibit that are inspired by the aquatic life structures, yet visually allude to lace textures and Dutch ruffled collars.

Although initiated by the wonder of natural structures, her process of discovery is driven by the cognitive act of working with the digital tools and materials in her studio. “I wonder because I’m curious,” she says. “It is survival. Wonder of

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Annet Couwenberg Cleft 2016 CNC routed polyethylene, screws, felt, fiberglass, covered with feathers, copper braid 2’ x 8’ x 8’ Photo credit: Dan Meyers

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Annet Couwenberg Legacy and detail 2014 laser cut buckram, CNC routed polyethylene, origami, screws 15,5” x 30” x 30” Photo credit: Dan Meyers

Jann Rosen-Queralt Unsung Heroes: Holthuis anemone Shrimp - Ancylomenes holthuisi, Bubble Coral Shrimp - VIR phillippinensis on Bubble Coral - plerogyra sinuosa, and Ghost Shrimp - Paleomonetes sp.

2016 digital rendering 52� diameter

something heightens curiosity and makes me dig further, trying to discover something new.� The process of exploring the limits of software and materials, the structure of objects, making mistakes, learning from the mistakes, and creating something new is an important act of discovery in and of itself.

A cognitive act of learning occurs in the physicality of handling the materials, making marks, and testing the limits. This fact is why, if one visits many of the great architectural studios of the world, one will find that model making is still a preferred method of investigation despite advances in the digital age.

The creative practitioner learns by making marks, physically or digitally, just as a mathematician resolves an equation. By engaging in the physical act of mark-making she is also engaged in a way of knowing that is conceptual on one level and aesthetic on another.

In essence, both artists work at that special spot where disciplines and technology overlap. Silos of deep knowledge have made everything in modern life possible (perhaps even bearable).

The commonalities that these areas of thinking share, however, are far more interesting, and perhaps useful, than their differences. Seeing the connectivity of things from various perspectives is fertile ground for exploration. What can practitioners learn from the methodologies of others? By themselves, the disciplines of art and science provide incomplete models. Like the story of the blind men touching an elephant in an effort to describe it, we are limited by our perspective; we need combined perspectives to create the larger image of truth. There are points where science is intuitive and where rational thinking is required in art making. Scientists and artists overlap in process where the human experiences are curiosity, wonder, and a sense of play. The economics of

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Annet Couwenberg Sturgeon Bone 2014 505 layers of laser cut buckram, wood, brass rod 12” x 7” x 7” Photo credit: Dan Meyers

Jann Rosen-Queralt Essence: Porcelain Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus (detail) 2015 digital photograph and text 7” x 8.4”

Jann Rosen-Queralt Essence: Porcelain Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus (detail) 2015 laser cut acrylic plexiglas rhombic dodecahedron 5” x 5” x 5” Photo credit: Dan Meyers

science mean that scientists often have too much at stake to admit that play is involved and they can borrow from the artist’s toolbox at least at the moments of discovery—the eureka moments.

The artist’s space is safe by comparison. Play can occur because mistakes are viewed as points of departure. For artists Annet Couwenberg and Jann Rosen-Queralt, a playful spirit is at the heart of their curiosity and is fueled by their wonder. Yet the outcome is anything but trivial. Their work reminds us that our disciplines should not limit our view of the world but always inspire us to expand it.

JD Talasek Director, Cultural Programs at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

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ANNET COUWENBERG Due to her inimitable curiosity, Annet Couwenberg transcends everything you thought it was to be a “fine artist.” Try and box her in and she’ll break all your boundaries. From her early position as a fashion designer in New York, to her most recent work with fish fossils and skeletons through the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship at the National Museum of Natural History, Couwenberg is an interdisciplinary artist with an endless capacity to create in new realms.

Born in the Netherlands, she immigrated to the United States in 1980 to pursue an M.F.A. at Syracuse University and then a second M.F.A. at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Never fearful of borders, Couwenberg’s work has taken her all over the world: to an artist residency in South Korea, a show at the Textiel Museum in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and an exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design in NYC (just to name a few). Trained in the field of fiber, Couwenberg is a kinesthetic learner, truly enjoys process, and self-identifies as a maker. However, as she is always curious and constantly ready to learn, Couwenberg has moved and merged disciplines across her career. Even after 27 years teaching at the Maryland Institute College of Art, she has still managed to reinvent herself and the medium that she works in. Most recently, she created a class that merges digital technology, traditional crafts, engineering, and art. Studying and comparing old and new technologies is amplifying her on-going critical investigation into the integrated practice of crafting in the physical and digital realms. She currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband.

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JANN ROSEN-QUERALT For the past 20 years, Jann Rosen-Queralt has been creating art works and site-specific installations revealing the poetic and sublime nature of water. The tools of her practice are rooted in immersive research, innovative collaboration, and exploration, resulting from in-depth work with communities and individuals. A successful project creates a space of enrichment, interaction, or introspection. RosenQueralt is dedicated to exploring social and ecological relationships by providing viewers with opportunities to connect and consider broader universal themes. Endeavoring to forge connections between people and ideas, she explores a wide variety of themes including generational perspectives, environmental stewardship, and the mutual integration of art and science. As an artist, she sees her role as both a visionary and an aesthetician, balancing between collaborator and provocateur in an effort to trigger awareness of aquatic assets.

A sample of her award-winning commissions include a rain garden that treats storm water runoff at Powhatan Springs Park, Arlington, Virginia; a sound garden at the Billingsley Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina; and a water work celebrating the influent and effluent at the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment facility. She teaches graduate students in the Master of Fine Arts in Community Art and undergraduates in the Interdisciplinary Sculpture Department at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). In addition, she is a key member of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, Arts Integration Steering Committee, and is on the FORCE Leadership Team.

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AUGUST 30 – OCTOBER 9, 2016 ARTISTS’ RECEPTION AND TALK

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 6-8 P.M.

THE SILBER GALLERY

Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum DIRECTIONS Baltimore Beltway, I-695, to exit 27A. Make first left onto campus.

GALLERY HOURS 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday – Sunday 410-337-6477

The exhibit is free and open to the public.

goucher.edu/silber • 20 •

17011-4960 08/16

The Silber Gallery program is funded with the assistance of grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the state of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Baltimore County Commission on the Arts and Sciences.