JASON JAY STEVENS
ELEVEN STRATA AND THE PLANETARY BOUNDARY
Sound and Sculpture
2 July through 2 August 2009
Joan Grona Gallery
at the Blue Star Arts Complex
112 Blue Star, San Antonio, Texas 78204
opening reception: 6 pm Thursday 2 July 2009
hours: Tuesday - Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11 am - 6pm
phone: 210.225.6334
email: jgrona@satx.rr.com
web: http://www.joangronagallery.com
The artist offers the audience a unique, virtual tour of eleven strata of atmosphere and ocean, on either side of the planetary boundary. As illustrations of the qualities of places from high in the outer Magnetosphere, through the Thermosphere, the Stratosphere, and down into Mesopelagia, Bathypelagia, and the deeper Abyss, Stevens presents a batch of mysterious experiments, curious handmade instrumentation, and eerie field recordings.
Featuring sculptures, a pair of paintings, and a pair of photographs, the centerpiece of the exhibition are two sound compositions, one each for atmosphere and ocean. These musical works are essentially performed by an ensemble made up of sculptures in the gallery, in coordination, generating a planetary rhythm and harmony. The sonic landscape varies dramatically throughout the space, but at any point can be contemplated as one work.