Double Vision Lecture Series

Double Vision Lecture Series

Redux Contemporary Art Center was proud to present Double Vision, a lecture Series. Lectures took place on the following Thursdays at 6 PM: Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, & Dec. 11. All lectures were free and open to the public and took place at Redux (136 St. Philip Street).

These events paired one art related issue against another subject of equal significance from a seemingly unrelated field. Each lecturer delivered a 30-minute presentation; the audience then discussed the possible or impossible relationships between the two.

NOVEMBER 13

Chris Robinson: Art and Technology

The first guest speaker was Chris Robinson, Professor of Art at the University of South Carolina, whose work seeks cross-disciplinary relationships between the two cultures of art and science. Trained as a minimalist, he specializes in 3D imaging, art and technology, and installations with mediums ranging from digital imaging to laser light and experiential performance. He was one if the early pioneers of the visual arts active role in zero gravity and space exploration, training and observing in the General Dynamics F-16 and NASA’s Zero G aircraft, the Weightless Wonder. Robinson is currently a senior and principal investigator on multidisciplinary teams conducting US National Science Foundation funded research on the societal implications and role of images in nanoscience/technology, biomedical engineering, and has been active in exhibitions and scholarly activities in the US and Europe.

Louise Doire: Evil and the God of Love

Louise M. Doire is our second speaker and her seemingly unrelated topic is Evil and The God of Love. She graduated in 1990 with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and a Masters in Divinity from Harvard University in 1994. She has been a member of the Religious Studies faculty of the College of Charleston since 1999. Her areas of research include comparative religious ethics, feminist critique of religion including feminist theology, theodicy and the study of religious responses to evil and suffering .

Theodicy or, the justification of God in the face of evil and suffering, has come under much closer scrutiny in the 20th century. Technological “experiences of the demonic,” i.e. the Holocaust and the emergence of atomic and nuclear weapons have called into question traditional explanations for the existence of God in the face of such evil. This talk surveyed some of the classical theodicies offered by the Biblical traditions, as well as some of the critical questions that have been brought to bear upon their efficacy in the modern world.

NOVEMBER 20th

Rick Zender: The Journey Of Sound

Reverberation was one focus of Rick’s talk but no slides accompanied this lecture. Instead Rick demonstrated and passed around props, peculiar objects and noisemakers so the audience could fully experience one of Rick’s many passions.

“Raised by a pack of wild corndogs, Rick was eventually kicked out for refusing to wean himself off the perfectly balanced diet of fat and sugar. Bitterness turned him into a neon-conservative, but being a devout recidivist, he drifted back to the wildchild life and joined a raccoon commune that squirreled its way into the attic of the Communications Museum, where he finally became curator upon threat of chewing up all their files. He is married to a lovely feline named Telecat, and they have one pet girl.”

Michael Moran: Honoring the Materials:
The process and approach to creating a piece of furniture

There is a significant amount of time and energy involved in transforming a tree into a piece of furniture. The early steps of cutting, milling, and drying the wood are just as important as the finals steps of applying finish. However, they are often overlooked. These early steps allow a perspective and understanding of the life of the materials. To truly appreciate the tree, the wood it produces, and in turn the furniture made from it, one must look closely at all of the steps and honor the tree in its various incarnations.

Michael Moran was born in Kentucky and lived in Tennessee and Wisconsin in his younger years. Michael was Valedictorian of his Frankfort High School (Kentucky) class and now holds a Bachelors of Science in Anthropology from the College of Charleston. He settled in Charleston in the late 90′s and apprenticed under a local furniture maker before opening his own shop in 2004. He is known to hug trees whenever possible and dream of small houses in the country with gardens. He will also do a handstand whenever the feeling strikes him and enjoys listening to sad music while cooking. Michael may be the only grown man to still sleep with a teddy bear that his sister gave him.

DECEMBER 4th

Manoli Davani Grayson
Holiday Party Planning with Wine and Cheese

Manoli Davani Grayson of Avondale Wine & Cheese will decode the complex world of cheese to help make your holiday planning a breeze! Learn the method to orchestrating a awe-inspiring cheese board and the subtle grace of wine pairing…and learn the fun way by tasting, tasting, and more tasting.

Colin Quashie
Cheese and Crackers: Racial Exploitation in Pop Culture

Colin Quashie is a visual artist whose highly charged art faces of against hard issues of culture, politics and race. He investigates serious issues using witty, scathing sarcasm intended to spark debate and discussion among the viewing audience. Through the use of ‘positive’ social anger, he uses his art to scrutinize the power bases of our social system, forcing us to examine our collective political perceptions. Recurrently controversial, his art, “…is as current as yesterday’s headlines, bold and brash like rap music…the equivalent of a three second sound byte; quick, easy and to the point.”