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Jul 3 2009 - 6:00pm Jul 29 2009 - 1:00pm In an ongoing multi-media exhibit entitled Land/Structure/Impact, artists Heather Joy and Matthew Olds (aka HOLD studios) collaborate to explore the relationship between humans and the land from a micro and macro level. Heather uses photography to document human-made ecotones (ecology + tension), representations of human attempts to control natural systems. Examples include the sharp lines between farmland and watershed, farm and city, port and wetland, among others. The images are from a series of Heather’s aerial photographs, taken over the past five years. She shoots while traveling on commercial flights, and some of her images are obscured by jet fuel, smog, cloud cover, frosty or cracked airplane windows, uncontrolled lighting and weather conditions. Matthew uses painting to document the rise and fall of structures in the landscape. He has long been fascinated with buildings and bridges in various states of deterioration, from use, neglect, or both. To better understand the dynamics of the built environment, Matthew has erected several structures of his own and installed them in the landscape. He uses these structures as source material for his paintings and will install a related structure in the gallery space. An additional component of the show is an ongoing collaborative project titled Land-Grab, which was inspired by the recent economic collapse, as well as the historical U.S. land rush of the late 1800’s. Heather and Matthew selected hundreds of Heather's aerial photographs and created an installation of them in a “parcel-like” grid. Each photograph will be available for “on-the-spot” purchase and will leave the gallery with the buyer. Throughout the show, Heather and Matthew will document the evolution of this interactive project as each element of the installation is sold leaving a void where there once was land/art. By the end of the Land-Grab project, they hope that only the abandoned infrastructure that was supporting the pieces will remain. This July exhibition is the third iteration of the Land/Structure/Impact project. The first was installed in the fall of 2007 at the Tacoma Contemporary Woolworth Windows. The second was installed at Seattle’s Fetherston Gallery May 15 - June 13, 2009, which included the addition of the Land-Grab project. At this third stop Heather and Matthew will install Land-Grab at the Valise Gallery as it was at the end of the Fetherston show. Future Land-Grab locations to be announced. Opening Reception: Friday, July 3 from 6-9pm More details about the show including images can be found here: HOLD created a video about the installation of the show at Fetherston that you can check out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp-KQwwVY7U VALISE gallery VALISE, Vashon Artists Linked In Social Engagement, is an artist collective located in the heart of Vashon Island. The collective began in February 2009 and currently has 11 members. The gallery is dedicated to presenting subjects and media that are daring, unexpected and emergent. Members of the collective exhibit about half the time, and artists from outside the Vashon Autonomous Zone, invited by the collective, exhibit the other half. VALISE also hosts free “4W” activities in the gallery each month, including drawing sessions, artist talks or informational presentations based on the exhibit of the month. (4W = events that take place during, or close to, the "Fourth Week" of the month.) Visit www.valisegallery.org for more information or visit the Valise blog at http://valisegallery.blogspot.com/ HOLD studios Heather and Matthew own HOLD studios, a diverse fine arts company located on Maury Island. Matthew and Heather create their own artwork as well as offer services for visual artists and art enthusiasts in the greater Puget Sound region. Their services include custom-built canvas and panels, art documentation and installation, commissions, artist consultation including grantwriting, and much more. Visit www.HOLDstudios.com for more information about HOLD, including HOLD's blog.
VALISE Gallery
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