The Campus Chronicle

Volume 3, No. 10
January 24, 2003

Ryan Wither’s "School Desk" is part of "Fusion," a show organized by SCAD’s Furniture Society that is on display at Studio 208 through Jan. 30.

‘Fusion’ is furniture collusion at Studio 208

A Review
By Hannah Pittard

The infrequency of furniture shows will surely add to the hype of "Fusion," an exhibition coordinated by the student-run organization Furniture Society. This undergraduate-only show acts as a counterbalance to the more-frequent graduate and thesis furniture shows.

"There aren’t many venues for displaying furniture," said Abigail Perkins, president of the Furniture Society. "So most furniture exhibitions are necessarily limited to graduate and thesis shows."

Ordinarily, a show like "Fusion," which excludes any graduate or thesis work, wouldn’t be possible because of space and monetary requirements. Recently, however, Studio 208, 208 E. Broughton St., opened its gallery space — free of charge — to any of SCAD’s academic departments. The Furniture Society jumped at the opportunity. "It’s the best space, and it’s free," said senior furniture major Perkins. "Fusion" is a direct result of Studio 208’s generosity.

Nineteen pieces, ranging in material from fiberglass to wood and in design from cabinets to chairs, will be on display through Jan. 30. Work representing all furniture classes from "Materials, Techniques and Woods" to "Senior Studio" will be on display. Several pieces will be for sale. "It’s a chance for undergraduate students to get a piece into a show and to get their work displayed," said Perkins.

Adding to the excitement of "Fusion" is the 20/20 Table. Titled for its creation during the college’s 20th anniversary, the table will be raffled off at the reception Jan. 24, 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $1.

Click here to view the online gallery

Bleue offers one piece to moon over
Montgomery Hall’s La Galerie Bleue has been transformed into a medium for technology with the help of "Current Circuit," SCAD’s inaugural multimedia traveling exhibition. The exhibition, on display through Feb. 10, features work from faculty, graduate students and alumni. Though seven artists and several media are represented in "Current Circuit," one piece stands out.

Video/film professor Michael Chaney recorded the images for "Island Project," a projection in four pieces, on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands during the summer of 2002. The size of this installation alone merits consideration, but it is more than mere size that holds the attention. Obviously, Chaney was careful when planning the layout of "Island Project." On one side of the wall three large panels of images are projected side by side. Within each panel, the images — a hermit crab, the seaside at dusk, and a blackbird —seem both constant and changing. On the opposite wall a blue light interrupted by intermittent flashes of Island life. Both sides of the wall vie for attention, making complete awareness impossible. Through slow, deliberate pacing of the images, Chaney explores the interplay of nature, artifice and hubris, in term’s of people’s refusal to address the intruding and gnawing bits of reality as they so obtusely focus on a prescribed, idealized and ultimately constructed environment.

The other pieces that make up "Current Circuit" are also worth visiting, but the layout of the exhibition is just spread out enough to detract from the potential power of the individual works. Perhaps Chaney’s piece avoids this fate because of its intrusive, but necessary size.