PRANA consists of approximately 2000 hand-cast sphere-like shapes, spanning a 20-foot wall. Using light as its medium, PRANA translates various breathing responses to express the subtle interactions of life in its physical form. The installation utilizes a network of sensors by digital techniques and programmed processes to convey changes in the physical environment and interactions encountered with its audience.
During this exchange, breath creates an intimate relationship between the viewer and the piece. PRANA, Sanskrit for “breath,” is responsible for the beating of the heart and bringing life to every cell throughout the circulatory system. The project becomes a statement on the interconnectedness of all things in nature, and in life. It is a sculptural installation constructed into an organic whole. The community and PRANA mutually engage in a physical conversation through both art and technology.
Artist Chris Klapper explains “I see the world and all that exists within it as one. Everything connects, yet stands apart. As an installation artist, I study how things are linked together: the universe, the stars, DNA, molecules, cells, plants and animals, the air we breathe, life and death, everything. My art derives from objects that I find and cast from a variety of materials to form installations that connect each element to the other. The essence of the individual piece is changed and a new creation is born. This becomes my personal adaptation and expansion of the readymade. I am both amazed by life and confounded by death. Fascinated by the energy of creativity. In an effort to work freely, I enter my studio with an idea and allow my unconscious mind and the nature of the materials to come together to create without constraint.”
Installation artist Chris Klapper has partnered with electrical engineer Jen Lusker to create an interactive sculptural light installation.
Chris Klapper, a New York based installation artist maintains her studio in Brooklyn, New York. She received her BFA from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA. Her work has been displayed internationally in Italy and domestically in New York, Philadelphia and Boston.
She is a director of the Bushwick Art Project (BAP), a multidisciplinary curated art event of the Bushwick community.
Jen Lusker attended Louisiana State University earning her BS in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. She currently designs printed circuit boards, a skill she has always regarded as ‘functional art’. An established music producer, her passion for electronic music and creative processes has evolved to projects which includes the design of an electronic drum machine. Jen presently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Grant recipients from The Brooklyn Arts Council
Dates
March 5–April 24
Panel Discussion
Art & Technology: How Technology is Changing Art and How We Create
Sunday, April 10 at 4pm
more info
Admissions
Free
Location
The Main Gallery
51 Bergen St.