( excerpt from original press release )

Phenomenology

At MICA's Meyerhoff Gallery through July 31

French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty defines "phenomenology" as the study of the essences of perception and consciousness. He maintained that the mind and the body must be separate, yet completely connected. Within his system, perceptions are based on both sensory experience and rational knowledge, and so judgments transcend both reason and experience.

In Phenomenology, the eclectic Artscape exhibit at the Meyerhoff Gallery, the curators specifically chose work to spark an understanding of Merleau-Ponty's view of perception, intending it to interact with the viewer's mind and body. The most successful work in the show slyly defies definition, mostly by transforming raw and organic materials into structures that seem to contradict their origins.

Artists Laura Amussen and Jessie Lehson both use a grid format to arrange organic material into graceful formal compositions. Amussen's "Seep" features black bamboo poles, suspended from wires in a rectangular grid, and in Lehson's "Dirt Floor," four different colors of local soils have been arranged to resemble carpet squares on the gallery floor. In both cases, the evenness of the arrangement contradicts the usual way the materials are perceived, creating a new and respectful way to regard them.

Oddly organic, yet completely man-made, John Ruppert's "River Jacks" appear to be rocks but are actually made of cast metal. The large stones appear to change as the viewer moves around and among them, with casting lines on their surface becoming more and less obvious, changing back and forth in your perception from natural to synthetic and back again.

The use of raw and apparently unfinished materials also reinforces the theme of the show, encouraging viewers to wonder why they were used. In Mark Winicov's "Box Camera," an open plywood box with several glass shelves, the unvarnished wood suggests a simple idea within. Upon closer inspection, the mirrored surfaces reveal neatly arranged objects and images, which can only be seen from certain careful angles. John Penny's "Stillness Series," meanwhile, can be easily mistaken for misplaced building materials. As you walk around the three cement blocks and striped slat of wood, units of measurement will line up perfectly and then appear to be unequal, another exercise in perception of measurement.

Less effective are the more traditional and narrative pieces in the show, which are difficult to separate from their context. The artist book, marble sculpture, and folk art, while accomplished and interesting, are all much easier to accept in an art gallery setting, so they end up diluting the line of questioning raised by the more puzzling and mysterious pieces. (Cara Ober)