"White Noise" opening at Hygienic on Saturday

Hygienic Art
83 Bank St., P.O. Box 417, New London, (860) 443-8001
White Noise
Feb. 21—Mar. 14, 2009
Opening reception: Sat., Feb. 21, 7—10 p.m.

Press release

Hygienic Coop Artists Greg Bowerman, Kevin Cooper, Liz Larson, Susan Madacsi, Kat Murphy and Troy Zaushny exhibit various interpretations of White Noise using a range of materials including oil painting, graphite, poly-fresco, steel, glass and mixed media. In the Underground Gallery, a Filmmaker from Poland, Ted Ciesielski uncovers his video installation "Empire Desire," a visual bridge between sexuality and architecture in New York City; multi-screen, multi-woman, multi-color, one desire. It's the result of many years seduction from both sides.

Ted Ciesielski • Filmmaker from Poland, where graduate from Lodz Film Academy. In 80s director of music videos for KULT, SIEKIERA, Cityzen GC. Passion for travel and truth lead him to documentary field. He explore with film camera over Europe and China, settled in New York in 90s. His obsession with urban landscape turned him to projects about Twin Towers, Empire State Building, billboards, oil tanks and garbage in New York City. Currently working on AT&T tower project in New London. Technique: 16mm film time-lapse and photo-animation. Films: Requiem 2001, My Empire, Last Letter, My Gates.

Hygienic Co-op Residents:

Gregory Bowerman • This body of work focuses on everyday things that develop into a rhythm and become or can be perceived as white noise.

A Hygienic coop resident since 2002, Gregory Bowerman, is primarily an oil and mural painter. Greg feels fortunate to have exhibited and received student exchange and artists residencies in Ireland, France, Austria, Germany and Bulgaria. This summer he will be participating in an artist's residence in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. A thread that is usually depicted throughout his work is Greg's fascination with the visual response to literature. In the past he has created series of work responding to "The Epic of Gilgimesh," "The Greek Gods," and more recently "Aesop's Fables." In addition to his artistic endeavors Greg is an art instructor at The Williams School, New London, CT and runs the Golden Street Gallery also in New London, CT.

Kevin Cooper • White Noise. I decided to explore white noise how I perceive it. I looked and listened to the patterns it made and the feeling it gave to me. The work is a series meant to be looked at like a tv screen, creating these underlying patterns and how they react, but can also be looked at individually to interpret noise.

As the newest resident Kevin is always learning and absorbing.

Liz Larson • White Noise: I am exploring white noise as a theme in the literal sense. Several sources of white noise are depicted in soft graphite on white paper. An actual tape recording of these objects is an integral part of the display.

Liz Larson has been a Hygienic resident for 5+ years. Recently she has been keeping busy facilitating kid's creative projects and keeping up with her own artistic endeavors. Liz is also studying to be an Art Educator and is an active folk and rock musician in the area.

Kat Murphy • Kat is creating illustrations to portray her quirky and clever interpretations of White Noise.

Kat Murphy is one of the founding members of the Hygienic Arts Cooperative in downtown New London, CT. She is an artist in residence, director of programming and curator at Hygienic Art Galleries. She is currently finishing up a certificate program in Graphic Design for Print and Web at Rhode Island School of Design.

Susan Madacsi • These drawings and sculptures are a conceptual body of work. They are about the relationship that man has with nature. It addresses the current social movement of the "green culture". Ideas that humanity will destroy itself if it continues on the present path of consumerism and power and that the nature of this wastefulness and greed will destroy the earth as well. This body of work implies that this is not the case. It's an unconventional idea. Humanity may or may not survive its current path. This does not really matter as far as planet is concerned. It will always be here and its existence does not hinge on the survival of mankind. Nature will always adapt to change. It is forever changing. Whether imposed on by the human race, or by other forces. It will be us who cannot adapt and survive if we over exceed our needs. Our resources are not nature's resources to survive; they are ours. We are like a yeast culture in a bottle. Once we expend our food and over populate our space we will neutralize ourselves. The natural state of the universe will continue on it's own path creating and working with whatever remains. Engulfing, absorbing and turning our leftovers into something else. We do not mater to the elements and to things without consciousness. They will continue to endure without the egos of men.

Troy Zaushny • Like white light, I think of white noise as having divine characteristics. It is often the sound of movement. In the context of one's spirituality, it may be the sound of movement toward a higher state of awareness. White noise is represented in some way in almost all of my works, often taking the form of explosions, spirals, comet trails, and most recently, tangled vines and branches. White noise can be at once both peaceful and overwhelming. It offers a bit of chaos that wears down the conscious mind, allowing something deeper to slip through.

Troy has just begun his second year as a resident of the Hygienic co-op.
He is currently developing a series of prints and paintings based on the natural world, and co-facilitating the weekly life drawing sessions here at the Hygienic.