/ SEMIANNUAL LECTURE SERIES /
/ ABOUT THE LECTURE SERIES /
Redux Contemporary Art Center is proud to present Double Vision, a semiannual lecture series that was started in the fall of 2008. We have a great group of artists and professionals lined up for the fifth event which will amaze and amuse you. Lectures will take place at 6pm on Mondays, September 20 - October 11. All lectures are free and open to the public and will take place at Redux. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Registration is not required.
For this season, we've added a new componet to the lecture series. Guests can enjoy a complimentary glass of wine provided by Social Wine Bar before the lectures begin. Save your happy hour money and join us at 5:30pm for great wine, a chance to meet new people and the opportunity to learn something new! Lectures begin at 6:00pm.
Double Vision plays an important role in the educational mission of Redux. This lecture series will pair one art related issue against another subject of equal significance from a seemingly unrelated field. Each Lecturer will deliver a 30-minute presentation; the audience will then discuss the possible or impossible relationships between the two. During the first part of the program, speakers are not allowed to make connections between topics, during the question and answer period, anything can happen.
The audience is intimate, appreciative, and intelligent, and the Lecturers are accessible, generous and interesting.
/ SCHEDULE OF LECTURERS + TOPICS /
September 20:
Ben Timpson // The Infinite Process is Art
Cyrus Buffum // Clean Water and Strong Communities
September 27:
Gwylene Gallimard & Jean-Marie Mauclet // ART AND COMMUNITY
jimihatt // the birth of jimihatt
October 4:
Harper Poe // Empowerment through textiles
Ron Wiltrout // Indeterminacy: Chance, Control, and Their Effects on the Experience of Music
October 11:
Mikayla Mackaness // Crude verity: Light's confessions in photograph
Jenny Bloom // Recycling; How, Why and Why not more?
More information about each lecturer and descriptions for each presentation can be found below
/ SEPTEMBER 20 /
Ben Timpson // The Infinite Process is Art
Ben will talk about the techniques and unique processes behind his studio practice, as well as address the many different directions that his artwork has gone. He will discuss the tricks he's learned that help him in his creative process, and answer questions from the audience.
Benjamin Timpson has lived in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan, Nevada, Missouri and South Carolina. He received his BA in Studio Art, at UMKC, Kansas City, Missouri. He studied photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. He has published two books, photographs weddings, and teaches art at Meeting Street Academy. He is currently represented by Scoop Studios in Charleston, SC.
Cyrus Buffum // Clean Water and Strong Communities
The conversation will detail Cyrus Buffum's path from studying astrophysics at CofC, to his pursuit of being a part of the "new" nonprofit revolution. Through his experiences establishing Charleston Waterkeeper and his involvement with other organizations around the world, he has gained insight into the changing world of change-making. In the age of growing technology and constant contact, it is easy for the voice of worthy causes to be lost in the sea of noise. As a result, Cyrus has sought to introduce creative and innovative ways of messaging, branding, and operating into the nonprofit sector; an opportunity that may not have been possible a decade ago when capital ruled and goodwill often times struggled to be heard. Cyrus will share his personal goals for his involvement in the nonprofit world as well as his experiences and long-term goals with Charleston Waterkeeper and the local community.
Cyrus Buffum became Charleston’s first Waterkeeper on September 16, 2008 after the organization was officially approved as a member program of the Waterkeeper Alliance. Cyrus was born and raised on Cape Cod, MA and grew up sailing throughout New England; his time on the water gave him an incredible appreciation and passion for the ocean and its delicate ecosystems, and eventually gave direction to the many decisions he’s made in his life.
In 2002, Cyrus came to Charleston to attend the College of Charleston. Throughout his time at the College of Charleston, Cyrus became involved with the Student Government Association (becoming the Chief of Staff and a Senior Senator), and was a founding father of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Cyrus spent much of his time on the water balanced between teaching sailing and racing sailboats. While at school, Cyrus studied physics and math with a focus on coastal processes. His senior thesis, “An In-depth Look at Beach Morphology through the Analysis of Particle Motion beneath Ocean Waves,” exposed him to the connected worlds of science, society, and the health of our waterways.
After graduating, Cyrus spent two months traveling throughout Zimbabwe working with the Elias Fund, an educational-based non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of Zimbabwean youth. With a background in the sciences, a love for the water, and a passion for social activism and people, Cyrus began searching for his next endeavor. While reading The Riverkeepers, a book by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cyrus became inspired by the story of the Waterkeeper movement, the history of environmental advocacy, and the potential of grassroots activism. He decided that Charleston was in need of such a watchdog organization, and in turn, contacted Waterkeeper Alliance to inquire about starting a Waterkeeper program in the Lowcountry… Eight months later, Charleston Waterkeeper became the 183rd member program of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
/ SEPTEMBER 27 /
Gwylene Gallimard & Jean-Marie Mauclet // ART AND COMMUNITY
As first generation immigrants and residents of Charleston for 26 years, Gwylene and Jean-Marie have developed an art practice rooted in the importance of local communities as part of the global movement of today. In order to explain their artist statement of the moment, they will present and analyze an art installation “Olympia” developed during a three month residency at 701 Contemporary Center for the Arts in Columbia SC. Often understood as a multi-faceted contemporary memorial, it was informed by a community-based approach to art and derived through research, community interaction, oral history and personal aesthetic inclinations. Gwylene and Jean-Marie’s media ranged there from traditional 2 and 3 dimension materials like charcoal on canvas, wood and steel, to large scale polyurethane castings, digital media pieces and series of events.
Gwylene Gallimard & Jean-Marie Mauclet's collaborative experiences include two community-oriented French cafes; art installations about the health insurance industry, the fast food phenomenon, religious beliefs; archives & history; globalization, gentrification, populations displaced by war, dictatorship. Their endeavors have involved school populations, a homeless community, a refugee organization, art institutions, a neighborhood, other artists and activists. www.fastandfrench.org
jimihatt // the birth of jimihatt
This presentation will be given by jimihatt, the founder of Guerrilla Cuisine. Guerrilla Cuisine is Charleston's original collaborative dining project. While the idea of "underground", "alternative" dining is not a new one they've put their spin on it, refined it and brought it to Charleston starting with two dinners in November of 2007. Since those dinners we've evolved and continue to evolve into an exciting culinary, social and philanthropic venture that pushes boundaries, brings awareness and builds communities.
While you may know Guerrilla does at least one event per month and that the event location is only available to paid guests the night before the event, what you may not know is that each event is a collaboration between us, the chef, the farmer, the artists and a particular charity. Think of it as a local awareness project with proceeds from each event benefiting a selected charity...sometimes national, often local.
Guerrilla Cuisine is not for everyone. It's not a sit at the table look at a big menu and pick what you want. It's 5-7 course prix fixe meal to which you BYOB and sit at communal tables with other people as cool as you. Guerrilla Cuisine events are held in unconventional spaces that thus far have included a winery, art galleries, a backyard, a living room, and a warehouse.
jimihatt, 2 i's 2 t's one word no caps...... the founder of Guerrilla Cuisine, has been a regular on the Charleston food scene for over 17 years. Well into his third season of Guerrilla, he has hosted 56 underground dinners and continues to gain popularity in Charleston. His dinners are consistently sold out as fans continue to vie for the chance to attend. Combining food, art, and music is his specialty. While juggling his popular underground supper club, jimihatt continues to work at McCradys and support numerous local charities.
/ OCTOBER 4 /
Harper Poe // Empowerment through textiles
Harper will discuss how she started a fair trade business promoting social change through creation and collaboration with global textile artisans.
Harper Poe grew up in Charlotte, N.C. She attended Clemson University where she studied Construction Management, thinking she wanted to pursue home building. Her first job was working for interior designer to the stars, Ruthie Sommers. It was here that Harper became fascinated with textiles, taking daily trips to the Los Angeles Pacific Design Center to cruise the halls of the various fabric showrooms becoming enthralled with the colors, patterns, and methods of the fabrics. In 2005 she moved to New York City where her love for product, interior, and textile design grew surrounded by the amazing cultural resources the city has to offer. Disenchanted with her 9 to 5 office job, Harper left in 2006 to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Chile. She fell in love with the brightly colored fabrics and people and returned with an overwhelming desire to combine her passions into a sustainable fair trade business promoting social change. In 2007, Harper and her friend Molly Purnell established Proud Mary. With the help of Nest, Proud Mary was connected with several weaving and sewing cooperatives in Guatemala and their first line of “ethnic-modern” textiles was created. Proud Mary’s second textile collection debuted in July 2010 with hand printed fabrics from South Africa. Harper’s goal is to continue to work with talented textile artisans around the world, sharing their unique work and stories.
Ron Wiltrout // Indeterminacy: Chance, Control, and Their Effects on the Experience of Music
Since the mid-20th century there has been an increasing and widening embrace of chance in musical composition and performance. This seeming (but not actual) relinquishing of control has had great effect on the way people experience music, and has expanded the ways in which a musical idea is appreciated. The presentation will discuss some ways in which indeterminacy is practiced and appropriated in modern musical thought and some interpretations of the effects they can have. There will most likely be some humanist and naturalist rambling, as well.
Ron Wiltrout is a percussionist based in Charleston, South Carolina. He performs regularly in the regional Southeast with ensembles ranging from jazz to free improvisation to avant-garde classical music to professional stage shows and recording sessions. An avid performer of new music, he has premiered pieces by Ted Hearne, Ray Evanoff, Sam Sfirri, Mustafa Walker, Sean Friar, Philip White, and Nathan Koci in the recent past. Mr. Wiltrout is devoted to exploring the many sonic possibilities of percussion, with particular emphasis on the drum set as a multi-faceted, highly expressive instrument. He co-leads a few jazz groups, is currently co-artistic director for the New Music Collective, and has performed and/or recorded with Lewis/Gregory/Wiltrout, The Rudy Waltz, the Garage Cuban Band, Lee Barbour, Tommy Gill, Bert Ligon, Brad Moranz, Havanason, Duda Lucena, Kopaja, Your Bad Self, Katrina Ballads, Brazil, and the Opposite of a Train. www.ronwiltrout.com
The New Music Collective (NMC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization devoted to the composition, production, and promotion of new music. We hope to educate the public about new music through concerts, performances, workshops and collaborations with artists of every medium. We are equal parts performing ensemble, composers collective, and concert presenter. Comprised mainly of a small core of Charleston-based composers and performers, the NMC also draws on a "collective" of artists, performers, and composers from around the world. We are committed to expanding the cultural environment of Charleston, South Carolina by both emphasizing the local artistry already in our community, as well as exposing Charleston to internationally recognized composers and performers
/ OCTOBER 11 /
Mikayla Mackaness // Crude verity: Light's confessions in photograph
The exposition of Light. Our innate attraction to Light. Light's relationship with darkness: taking it, flowing into it, seeking it, discovering it, and exposing it. Light as a mediator. Light as a communicative wanderer/wonder. Light as a witness.
Statement by Mikayla Mackness: “I’m a Montserratian. I enjoy swimming in the rain. And learning You. I currently reside in Charleston, South Carolina: joyfully here in this season. I am on faculty at the Art Institute of Charleston in the Media Arts department discovering the visions of some heroes in the gigantic photographic reason. Here, I'm also involved in a great community-oriented visionary center, the Charleston Center for Photography, while taking on multimedia projects. I usually volunteer for inner-city youth arts initiatives wherever I reside, and participate in international humanitarian missions on the regular. Currently, I'm working on a series entitled, 'Underwater music,' and am truly enjoying the cello, saxophone, and piano of late. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Journalism, a Master of Arts in International Communications, and a Master of International Relations. I appreciate conversations regarding politics and religion; makes for great theoretical wanderings into how-to intercultural peace. I believe in the power of the actualized idea. I believe God knows us personally. And, I believe in the weighty freedom of grace. I write a lot. Usually about relationships. I have lived in dozens of nations. I enjoy frolicking around in the day and laughing and leading others to smile. At night, I wonder into placid curve. I adduce soft touch as healing hope. If I stare at you for long enough, I will fall in Love. My first word was, 'water' and I want my last word to be, 'You,' finishing the sentence, 'I Love You.' When I was a little girl, my mother ran into my room and exclaimed, ‘Why do people wait until those around them are dead to give them flowers and to tell them how much they mean to them; how they feel about them?’ And then she just walked out. Ever since then, I basically tell you everything you mean to me. Everything. I hope you are smiling today. You are perfectly you. And. I am so attracted to you.” (July 2010)
Jenny Bloom // Recycling; How, Why and Why not more?
This show and tell presentation will focus on the big environmental picture behind recycling in Charleston County, and the societal obstacles.
Jenny Bloom has been Charleston County’s Environmental Management’s Recycling Educator for 4 years, spending the majority of her time speaking to groups large and small of Charleston residents promoting Charleston County’s recycling programs and the big picture environmental benefits involved with recycling. Each group she meets with stirs questions about what motivates people’s actions… why do people do or not do a task, which has proven benefits for society as a whole. Jenny’s explorations of societal motivations are informed by trade statistics and industry research, but her endeavor to put her finger on what motivates or constrains Charleston residents specifically is anecdotal, gathered from conversations with thousands of Charleston citizens. As a public servant, with a background in non-profit environmental and arts management and a long interest on story telling and folklore, Jenny looks to her audience for the keys to motivating positive societal behaviors. How and whys to recycle in Charleston, and discuss why not more?
Jenny grew up in Westchester, New York and studied Fine Art and Art History at Franklin and Marshall College (Lancaster, PA) and the School of Visual Arts, (New York, NY). The following decade was spent between Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Nantucket, MA working in the Art Business, and in San Francisco, CA working in Environmental Education for Non-Profits, Farmers Markets and Publishers. Jenny returned to New York to raise her daughter and began her career in cooking, working in restaurants and as a private chef and caterer. Her desire to combine all her backgrounds has lead her to the unique and broadly defined position in county service where in addition to public speaking, Jenny coordinates the County’s Recycled Art Contests, teaches composting workshops, and organizes the County’s Annual Earth Day Festival.