Six fresh sculptures dotted around central campus welcomed students back to campus as part of Oswego State’s third biennial outdoor sculpture exhibition.
Tyler Hall Art Gallery Director Michael Flanagan and Benjamin Entner began the first outdoor exhibition in 2014 when Tyler Hall was under renovation, to enliven the campus atmosphere.
The six pieces displayed in the new exhibition include “Pop-up Sound Garden,” “Butterfly Effect,” “Square Dance,” “Harmony,” “Red Digital Arch” and “Parmenides I.”
“Pop-up Sound Garden” is made out of polyethylene cones and stainless steel bolts. Designer Gabriella D’Angelo from Hobart and William Smith Colleges said in a report that this sculpture “envisions the power of the garden as a space, which amplifies our rights as citizens to exchange words freely.”
This project plays with material and construction methodology and allows the audience to use imagination in everyday life.
Stephen Lowy’s “Butterfly Effect” uses a solar panel, an aluminum frame with lighting and stained glass. A quote by Frank Lloyd Wright – “form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union” – inspired Lowy to incorporate the idea in his work.
Bob Turan’s aluminum, steel and stainless steel piece “Square Dance” stands at 10 feet tall, and between 5 and 6 feet wide. The sculpture changes a static, internal stainless-steel cube into a kinetic form that is driven by the wind. Turan said in a report that his piece should work around in a variety of climates.
“If it can survive a hurricane in North Carolina then it should do well in Oswego,” Turan said in a report.
“Harmony” was constructed by designer miChelle M. Vara in 2002. Vara said in a report the piece symbolizes hope, light and care. Her work is all about relationships between what is experimentally “tangible and textile” and what is “metaphorical and spiritual.”
Jim Gallucci’s 10-foot-tall powder coated steel piece, “Red Digital Arch,” is one of many pieces that he has designed that he says has made a big impact in his life. He said he wants people to understand that art can make an impact every day.
“Art challenges us, makes us feel righteous, moves us, soothes us and can bring us to peace,” Gallucci said in a report.
Dev Harlan built “Parmenides I” out of welded aluminum in 2013. The piece references to the belief that there are universes that exist outside of human experience. His work consists of increasing fluidity between digital and physical practices.
“I really like all the sculptures here,” said Oswego State senior David Tack. “I’ve never seen anything like it. When I go to class every day, I always passed ‘Butterfly Effect’ and I would always tell myself, ‘If they can work hard and make some cool designs, then I can do something great too.’”
Photos by Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian
