“I examine the linear language of drawing in sculptural space. Expanding on the lexicon of gestural abstraction, I deploy a variety of synthetic materials in site-responsive, primarily temporal installations, as well as sculpture and works on paper. I mean to construct a kind of meaty ephemerality—an accretion of marks and their shadows delineating maelstroms of visual commotion; a teeming, jittery, torqued expanse of perceptual and psychological antics.” – Gelah Penn
I discovered this artist by accident while perusing a sculpture magazine. Flipping through the pages, one image grabbed my attention in a microsecond and I went back to find out exactly who and what it was. Gelah Penn makes site-specific installations using fibers, filaments and various other materials.
Gorgeous! I love the space created. I forget about the materials and only see the composition and the context.
The way these installations are placed in corners and angles gives me the impressions that some other, unknown dimension is breaking through into our own reality. The works are largely achromatic, occasionally showing just a hint of color, as you can see in the image to your right, with some orange filaments or mesh.
Below is another example showing more than one corner, each with its own set of filaments, almost implying a relationship. On a side note these works remind me of the music of Autechre, a duo who produce abstract/ambient electronic music.
I like the idea of being introduced to unexpected ways of thinking in design, and being prompted to thinking outside of the box. I think we all do ourselves a service by exploring new dimensions and broadening our horizons. For me, the work of Gelah Penn goes a long way in doing just that.
Eric Chamberlain 