Journey of the Invader Spirit

2020-2023, Duration: 15:37, Single channel video installation

Producer/Writer/Director: Mandy Morrison
Animation: Tori Porter
Music and Sound Design: Jason Charney
Participants: Jose Carlos Conceicao, Mandy Morrison, Raimundo da Silva, Charles Silva, Dete Vieira
Grupo de Capoeira Uniao, Itaparica, Bahia, Brazil, Escola Criança Feliz, Itaparica, Bahia, Brazil

Made with the support from the Tree of Life Foundation, The Maryland State Council on the Arts, Peat and Repeat, and many others.

 

Flourish at Ladew Topiary Gardens and Manor House

While exploring Ladew Topiary Garden’s 22 acres of gardens and the historic Manor House, sculptor-in-residence, Laura Amussen found herself reminded of Mother Nature’s unwieldy propensity to consume abandoned or unattended structures and objects. In the Oval Library, a single sprig of ivy creeps through a grate on the floor. Visible through the window—just beyond the threshold—the ivy blankets the ground. Its presence threatening to overtake the inlaid drop-leaf gaming table and side chairs before making its way to the oval partner’s desk.

Natural Lighting Emulator Series 2011-2016

About the Natural Lighting Emulator Series:

The Natural Lighting Emulator series is based on a specific natural lighting situation: sunlight as seen from beneath a tree canopy. Within the built environment, the opportunity to experience this “natural lighting situation” is diminishing. The cautionary NLE light works provide a thrilling surrogate for this natural phenomenon – they function as a playful solution to life in the built environment, disconnected from the natural world.

The American Way

These paintings start with subjects that exemplify the contradictions of greatness and terror which often occur simultaneously in America - Cowboys, sports icons, comic books, the KKK to name a few. Our imperialist history is portrayed through figures like George Custer, while Colin Kaepernick is referenced within a shadowy American football player taking a knee. Vignettes appear from the events at the capitol on Jan 6, 2021, shifting into heroic capes billowing in the wind.

The Thrill of Cycling

Cyclists and bicycles have been a source of fascination for April M Rimpo and become one of the largest of her series. The geometry of a bicycle combined with the organic shapes of the rider is part of the attraction.  April says, "Combine these fascinating shapes with the energy and beauty of riders whether in a race or just out for a ride,  I'm compelled to paint their stories." The backgounds in these paintings are generally blurred to represent the world they are flying past with the wind in their hair.

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