SAA Exhibits in the Community
Sandwich public library
142 main street, sandwich, ma
CURRENT EXHIBIT: July 2 - August 6
by Michael Berndt
ARTIST STATEMENT |
UPCOMING EXHIBITS
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Artist Statement - Michael Berndt: Memory and Perception
As an artist I believe my role is to explore the difference between memory and record, as well as the nature of perception. We live in a technological era where every moment can be, and often is, recorded. To know what occurred at any date and time, one only has to scroll through the photos on their phone or perform a trivial search of the internet. We have the capability to review and replay endless amounts of data about ourselves and our history. But a record is different from a memory. A memory is imperfect. A memory takes the record’s hard edges and sands them smooth, often tilting events toward the benefit of the observer. A memory distorts the reality of the record, stretching some moments and erasing others. A memory is also more than a record, with its ability to be linked directly to an emotion, a scent, a sound, another memory. As an artist, one of the skills I utilize is the ability to mimic the effect of a memory in the mind of the viewer. The reaction to an image applied with brush and paint, an image that is changed and enhanced from the photographic record, is very similar to the reaction to a memory. If I’ve done my job, my artwork will trigger an emotional response in the viewer. In my work I’m exploring ways to maximize that effect, via thoughtful composition, enhancements in color and tone, and interesting brushwork. Likewise I’m also exploring the use of bold, unexpected color palettes to apply an intense, almost hallucinatory effect to my newer work. These color experiments are a meditation on the nature of perception. The way each of us perceive the world around us is built through a combination of our senses all assembled together in our brains. Who can say that one person’s perception is the same as another’s? Is the way I perceive “red” the same as the way you do? I think a lot about my dog, and how a dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times more powerful than our own, but a dog’s eye can’t see nearly as many colors as a human. We live in the same world, but our perceptions of that world are probably vastly different. |