“AFTERIMAGE: the LED as primary material”

Erwin Redl, Jim Campbell, Leo Villareal

Wood… “AFTERIMAGE: the LED as primary material”

Erwin Redl, Jim Campbell, Leo Villareal

Wood Street Galleries

601 Wood Street

(412) 471-5605

Green. Speaking in art, it’s the color of the world “Matrix II,” a Light-Emitting Diode installation created by Australian artist Erwin Redl and on display at Wood Street Galleries. The piece is one that quietly beckons viewers to enter it. It is a space. More specifically, it is a work that softly depicts what Redl called, at the opening reception for the exhibit, “the relationship between body and space created out of nothing.” This “nothingness” is an essential part of Redl’s motivation.

Disregarding typical western views of space as being the walls, floor and ceiling of a room, Redl realizes that “Space actually is the emptiness between the walls, not the walls themselves.” This realization is transferred to his audience; the walls and ceiling fade deeply into the background, and it is difficult to clearly perceive where the room’s boundaries really are.

Green. Speaking in photons, it coincides with our retina’s point of maximum spectral sensitivity, which is approximately 500 nanometers. This objective characteristic of green may have evolutionary ties to our subjective experience of it. In primates, the neural reaction to green is relatively neutral – the color of foliage is able to fade into the background so that they may more easily identify brightly colored fruits. For Redl, the “emotionally neutral” aspect of green is important. Red, he claims, is too full of connotation – specifically the red-light district. And blue, “Blue is almost too beautiful,” said Redl.

Green. Speaking in technology, it represents the color of the earliest computer games – tiny, pixilated green figures creating a two-dimensional world. Conceptually, Redl “consciously refers to that world,” the world of our most basic video-game technology. Unlike many technologically dependant artists, Redl refuses to let computer capabilities take attention away from the art. He respects the mechanical aspect of his installations without sacrificing the retro simplicity of his artistic message.

Green. Speaking in terms of music, its wavelength is roughly equivalent to a very high C note. A former musician himself, Redl is very aware of the relationship between the visual and auditory worlds. However, he normally chooses not to include music in his installations out of fear that it may “limit perception.” His artwork is “completely neutral, abstract work.” It is devoid of intentional spiritual references, although he welcomes audiences to develop their own interpretations – spiritual or otherwise.

Green. Speaking in terms of aviation, it’s the color of the pilot’s dashboard display. It is the color most clearly discernible when flying through the night sky. The readability of green also makes it a good candidate for car dashboards, alarm clocks, and stereo displays. It navigates us, directs us.

The work is framed by an empty border, which surrounds it on all four sides. Redl compares this frame to the ledge that borders a swimming pool. It is, he said, “A safe perimeter.” Visitors are not forced to enter the space, and if they choose to, he’s “not throwing people into a cold pool.”

Once the frame has been penetrated, viewers are “Somehow confined, but not too confined” by row upon row of evenly spaced green LEDs, the only light source in the room. The spacing of the LEDs, according to Redl, allows viewers to “navigate but still be guided.” The piece gives the illusion of reflection, yet there are no mirrors included in this installation. It does, however, stimulate a real degree of introspection. “It’s just a mirror,” Redl said, “you go in there, and it triggers something.”

In this metaphorical sense, the “emotional neutrality” of the work reveals its importance. While the work is developed from a certain conceptual basis, it is, like all memorable artwork, deeply personal. Redl, himself, acknowledges a moment when he “discovers the piece” for himself. This is something that usually doesn’t take place in him for nearly a month into the creation of a work.

Along with the LED pieces on the third floor of the gallery, which were created by Jim Campbell and Leo Villareal, “Matrix II” is a stunning example of the use of electronics and illumination in art. It is a hypnotizing space that must be individually experienced to be fully appreciated.