STEVE WANNA: SOUND | LIGHT | SPACE
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      • Singing Tower
      • in a single drop...
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Time-Based Installations


​Three Mantras (magnets, motors, magnetic pigment, needles, mixed media. 6ft x 22ft x 10ft - 2019)

A mantra is a word or sound or action that is repeated to help calm the mind and aid in concentration when meditating. This set of works is a meditation on impermanence. It invites the viewer to sit with the action of the slow rotation that, while repetitive, is at the same time causing continual change. Like any act of contemplation, more details emerge the longer one holds one's attention.

The installation consists of three platforms, each housing a similar mechanism hidden underneath. Each mechanism consists of a motor that spins a magnet at a very slow rate. The magnet drags around magnetized pigment through ordinary, non-magnetized pigment sitting on top of the platform. With each rotation the pigments mix and change while creating the seemingly uniform shape of a circle. 


​Time Still Moving (glass containers, water, cord, powder pigment, mixed media - 2019)

These installations were part of a multimedia solo exhibit presented at the Angie Newman Johnson Gallery in 2019. The exhibit centered on the theme of time as a byproduct of change, reflected in a mix of fixed, process-based works and time-based installations that unfolded over the course of several weeks. The dripping installations were created to invite a meditative state as one observed the slow, almost imperceptible change that results from each drip. With the passing of time, those small changes amounted to quite dramatic, seemingly cataclysmic results.

​drip: dissolve

drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve - detail shot (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve - detail shot (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)
drip: dissolve - detail shot (powder pigment, salt, water vessel, string, mixed media)

​Versus Series

Versus Series - Installation Shot
Versus 1: Cube (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 1: Cube (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 1: Cube (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 1: Cube (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 2: Pyramid (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 2: Pyramid (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 3: Sphere (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 3: Sphere (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 3: Sphere (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)
Versus 3: Sphere (pigment, plaster, water vessel, string)


​spring will come early (powder pigment on sand - 2013)

When I was little, my mother used a very curious method to predict the weather for the year.  Equal parts magic, astrology and faith, her method involved carefully pouring twelve small, identical mounds of salt onto a small tray. Each of the twelve mounds represented one of the months in the calendar year. She would set the tray outside overnight on the evening of Epiphany, January 6.  The next morning, she would carefully examine each mound for moisture content, and from their individual conditions (which were apparently different!) she could predict the weather conditions for each month of the year.  I don’t know if this method was accurate or not, but it didn’t matter to me as a child.  There was something quite magical about the ritual that captivated me.   And, despite their humble appearance, I always found the small mounds of salt quiet beautiful.  I view this piece as a distant homage to her methods.
 
The piece is a site-specific installation titled spring will come early.  It involves setting up two identical versions of the same piece, one indoors and the other outdoors.  Each piece will consists of 12 mounds of powdered pigment.  The piece that’s installed outside will naturally undergo changes due to its exposure to the elements, particularly rain and wind, and will, therefore, change dramatically over time.  The indoor piece, by contrast, will remain almost unchanged.
outdoor 1
outdoor 2
outdoor 3
indoor 1
indoor 2
outdoor 4 (after 2 days)
outdoor 5 (after 2 days)
outdoor 6 (after 2 days)


​Three Studies in Tension (mixed media - 2012)


​Look for me there (motor, magnet, powder pigment, mixed media - 2012)


​
​What becomes (powder pigment, water, glass jars, mixed media - 2011)


​This could get messy (powder pigment, glass jar, piano wire, motor, mixed media - 2011)

All images and audio files are copyrighted. © Steve Wanna
  • Home
  • Bio & CV
  • Installations
    • Time-Based Installations
    • Sound-Based Installations >
      • Singing Tower
      • in a single drop...
      • Meditation on Form and Measure
    • Architectural Installations >
      • Within Without
      • Facing the Light
      • seeing: forgetting
  • Visual Works
    • Mixed Media Sculptures
    • Sound Sculptures
    • Photography & Video
  • Sound Works
    • Electroacoustic & Mixed Media
    • Acoustic Chamber & Solo
    • Orchestral
    • Scores Samples
    • Dance Collaborations
  • Selected Exhibitions
  • Contact
  • Press