Tonight, Blink Gallery will experience “A Loss of Gravity” with the opening of Marissa Lehner’s interactive art installation.
“This installation will deal with the inevitability of death and the personal toll it can take on a loved one,” said Lehner. “With memory loss comes a nostalgia for the past, like trying to catch smoke in the air; with death comes an appreciation for life, and those who nurture it.”
Lehner’s exhibit will take elements from her last installation, “Ripe,” and will develop a new focus. She has incorporated a combination of found materials and new ideas to create an experience of light, shadow, and emotion.
“The idea started from this bed frame that I acquired two years ago,” Lehner said. “This brought forth the question, ‘What does a bed frame mean?’ It’s a place to sleep, a place to dream, a place to make love, but it’s also a place where people die.” Having witnessed her grandfather’s declining health and seeing him be confined to a bed, Lehner created this installation as a means to cope with and interpret that experience.
“Someone who is dying, what happens to them has a physical and emotional effect on their loved ones,” she said. “You want to keep someone alive, but at the same time, you want them to be at peace.” Lehner utilized the lanterns from her previous installation and manipulated the lighting to create an atmosphere and sense of space for her audience to capture this feeling.
“The boxes represent memories–those we are trying to recall and those we are losing,” she said. “They’re like pieces of his soul being released into the atmosphere.” She will focus the lighting on the bed, the centerpiece, and the pile of lanterns that rest upon it, colored in visceral tones representing a physical body. As your eyes move upward toward the ceiling, there will be an even movement into darkness. By utilizing a handful of LED lights to illuminate some of the hanging lanterns, she will convey a ray of hope, an orb of energy that will be suspended in the air. While the focus of these lanterns in the “Ripe” exhibit was about books and knowledge, Lehner is using them in this installation as more of a focus on form and color as the transition is made from the physical to the spiritual state.
The installation will be somewhat interactive. Lehner is also placing two chairs in the room, where viewers are welcome to sit and take in the experience. One will be placed at the side of the bed, recognizing it as a place of sickness or death. The other will be more distant, giving a more comprehensive view of the installation.
The show will open at 6 p.m. and will continue to be on display until April 21. During the opening night, Lehner will also be showing guests how to create the paper lanterns that she uses in her installations. There will also be photos taken of the installation that will be available later for purchase.
The show will run from April 15 to April 21. Viewing hours at Blink Gallery are Tuesday through Friday from 12 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at 466 Amherst Street. For more details, visit the Blink Gallery website.
photo: Marissa Lehner, preview of installation