by BECKY GOFF
Little Apple Post
MANHATTAN - Artist and experimental filmmaker, David Lebrun has loaned his series, Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past, to the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum.
The exhibit contains high resolution photographs taken by Lebrun and his creative team during their world travels studying and capturing the beauty of centuries-old sculptures of the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu, as well as attendants to Vishnu.
The photographs are animated using software to transition between the photographs, giving way to the subtle differences between each of the photographed pieces.
The exhibit contains 4 video screens showing the transformations between the photographs with specially composed music by composer Yuval Ron plays within the exhibit.
"The goal is to not make it look like something digital, even though I'm using digital tools to make it feel completely natural. Like it's a, it's a real thing that any point when you stop in the animation, you would look like a real sculpture. And when you bring them all together, it just feels like a real sculpture alive and breathing." Transfigurations Project, director, David Lebrun says.
A touchscreen outside the exhibit gives visitors the opportunity to examine each photograph in the exhibit and learn more about the characteristics of each artwork used in the animations.
"And I'll say to the original photographs of Vishnu were taken over the course of a month of traveling in India. You can see the travel route in our exploration station, but the research and photography is is also part of that very long process to meet each and every one. So, and with Shiva, it wasn't a month of photography, but rather some photography from museums." Transfigurations Project, producer, Rosie Guthrie says.
On Thursday, October 20, at 5:30pm, the Beach Museum of Art will celebrate Diwali, a major festival of India that symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
There will be multiple activities along with music, and specialty Diwali treats to enjoy.