MATERIAL MEDITATION

Jodi Colella

Linc Cornell

Denise Driscoll

Michael Frassinelli

Lisa Kellner

Yuya Shiratori

New Art Center

New Art Center61 Washington ParkNewtonville, MA 02460www.newartcenter.com

Material MeditationJodi ColellaLinc CornellDenise DriscollMichael FrassinelliLisa KellnerYuya Shiratori

Denise Driscoll, curator

CONTENTS

5 Foreward Ceci Mendez

7 IntroductionDenise Driscoll

10 Artist Plates

10 Jodi Colella

14 Linc Cornell

18 Denise Driscoll

24 Michael Frassinelli

28 Lisa Kellner

30 Yuya Shiratori

34 Exhibition List

36 Artist Biographies

38 Acknowledgements

38 Contact Information

40 Credits

Lisa Kellner, detail of shadow cast byUntitled (The Emperor Has No Clothes)

5

To experience Material Meditationis to revel in an animated world.Walking through the space, one cancontemplate an endless variation ofvisions where ropes congregate,paper envelopes align, and piano partsconspire. Rest assured, these hardymaterials are complemented by themore seemingly delicate but equallyformidable ones, and the movementcontinues: silk pods amass, rubberlace hovers, and shadows castthrough aluminum screens hum. All one has to do is breathe andmovement can be witnessed every-where. Even in the relative stillness of the completed installation, there isconstant evidence of action.

Quite literally a bountiful variety of material matter spreads across the floor, crawls out of corners,reaches up and flows over the walls, transforming the New Art Center Main Gallery into a uniquely meditative and active installation space for which it is magnificently suited.

The New Art Center has been showing the work of artists and curators for thirty-one years, since it was incorporated as a non-profit community arts center in 1977. Since 1991, public calls to artists and curators have brought dynamic,provocative exhibitions to the Centerthrough the Curatorial OpportunityProgram. Through this process artistsand curators, both emerging and established, have proposed and realized their visions in this uniqueexhibition space.

The curator and artists of MaterialMeditation have made the ultimate use of the Curatorial OpportunityProgram and its potential as a place and space to foment ideas, experiment with possibilities, and realize individual projects while participating in a unified vision. Like their materials of choice, theartists of Material Meditation them-selves gathered, spread apart, and re-assembled several times through-out the months leading up to the exhibition. As evidenced in this work, transformation through intense

focus was a constant companion toeach of these makers. The physicalmateriality of the works are rich withsymbolic associations that reflect onconcepts as broad and varied as genetics, politics, culture, history,myth, identity, and not least: a truelove of objects. That these issues are simply — and complexly — fragments of our whole human condition is no coincidence.They, too, are contributing parts to a greater whole.

Ceci Mendez is the Director of Exhibitions & Community Partnershipsat the New Art Center in Newton. She received a BA from Brown University(1996) and an MFA from the Universityof Michigan School of Art & Design(2002). She is an artist, curator, poet,and educator. Her films have screened in festivals across the United States andshe has exhibited her work in variousvenues in Massachusetts, Michigan,Rhode Island, Mexico, and Japan. She lives in Roslindale, MA.

FOREWARDCeci Mendez

7

What does it mean to be one of several billion? What connects us to ourselves, to each other, to theworld? How do we navigate today’stechnology? How do we present ourselves to others? How do we locate ourselves in history? How dowe manage the proliferation of somuch stuff?

The six emerging artists of MaterialMeditation turn to their work as theyask these and many other questions.With materials as varied as wood, silk, paper, aluminum screen, rubberand rope they gather, fragment, and reassemble their materials into objects that become physical contemplations, examining the relationship of part to whole. Madewith hundreds or thousands of elements, these works could be models of cellular structures, socialnetworks or stars within a galaxy.

Increasingly connected with digitaltechnology, we are in danger of forgetting how to be alone with ourthoughts. This ability to tap into vastamounts of information can beturned to unlimited positive use, yetsimply managing our means of access

exerts increasingly frequent and time-consuming engagement. Bouncing between cellphone, email and otherdigital prompts keeps our attentionon the surface, in information-management mode, and prevents dipping into deeper creative states of reverie or meditation.Within theirdevoted processes of working, theseartists find an expansive inner spacewhere thoughts, experiences and intuitions may connect. Each artistacknowledges that the physical objects being made are merely conduits for and evidence of thatinner transformative work.

Many authors find that they are ableto write about a certain place onlywhen they have located themselveselsewhere. In much the same way, theartists of Material Meditation havechosen to step away from the elec-tronically mediated world and towork with their hands, not to speakagainst the forces that shape ourtimes as much as to give them visibleform. Work that repeats elements or gestures countless times is some-times dubbed obsessive-compulsive.When focus is removed from the obsessive qualities of such activity

INTRODUCTIONDenise Driscoll

8

and redirected to the focused physical engagement this work requires, a healthy counterbalance is suggested more than aberrant behavior.

The artist creates a refuge of sustained activity when sewing, gluing, folding, tying, arranging andconstructing objects of countless elements. In this activity the slowersurer cumulative knowledge of thebody is given time to emerge andtake form. Repetitive, physicallygrounded work both demands andgenerates the ability to focus on one thing at a time.

Sustaining consistent, persistent andcumulative effort across emotional,physical and social distractions is notan obsession as much as a practice thatpermits smaller notions to coalesceinto larger ideas, seemingly disparateevents to resolve into pattern, and inreverse, incomprehensible problemsto be broken into manageable increments. The work itself growsinto models of human experienceand of the web of connections we have always lived within as well asthose we are newly able to create.

The artists began Material Meditationby agreeing to think of the gallery asa single cohesive space. As they

worked on their singular efforts, theyheld the qualities of each other’swork in awareness. Each of the resulting works may stand alone, yet when installed together in the New Art Center Main Gallery, all combine to hold a larger conversation. In turn, visitors mayenter the same conversation throughtheir own particular sensibilities.

During installation, the presence ofshadow became a unifying aspect ofthis work so emphatically engagedwith physical material. The shadowsthat are cast on the walls, floor andpeople suggest those unseen webs ofconnection that began each individualinquiry. By what invisible forces are we shaped? Are we in a cavewatching shadows appear on the wallor are we the shadow-casters?

11

Jodi ColellaUndercurrent

We live in a world that is at variance with the obvious.

Superficially speaking of one thing while conveying something else.

This is unsettling, turbulent and stressful.

We absorb. We synthesize. We render.

Seeking meaning from relationships. Order out of chaos.

Our actions flow in the current above. Our truths wade in the surface below.

— JC

Jodi Colella Undercurrent (detail) 2008aluminum screen, steel wire72” x 108” x 7”

12

Seeds

Hundreds of thousands of punches witha needle created these objects.

Accumulated energy contained in a state of dormancy.

Positive potential at the ready.

Manifestations of rebirth, optimism and promise.

— JC

Jodi Colella Seeds (detail) 2008felted wool, various dimensions

15

left, above and following page:

Linc Cornell Beach Knots (detail) 2008found beach knots, photographydimensions variable

Linc CornellBeach Knots

Walking the beaches of Cape Cod and the Islands, I have collected discarded and washed up rope. These weathered, worn knots from a distant sailor become psychological portraits. I see these found objects as metaphors of how we twist and turn ourselves into psychological knots. It’s amazing howthey function as a Rorschach inkblot test, becomingmirrors reflecting our experience and state of mindalong with our dreams and fears. These knots signify a binding of us together, weaving a connection, a symbol of eternity with an effortless grace. But they also symbolize disorder, chaos and even depression and mental illness.

I continue to walk the beaches...

— LC

17

Dreams decay into memories,Of rhythm and light,Eyes float across the still water.

An outsider stands, isolatedIn the silence of this obscured space.Exposed to the wind, the rain and snow,Revealing feelings that linger.Ideas warp into seductive frayed knots,Boundaries twist into paths.

A jar shatters under the sacred hill,Fearing to lose my grip,Smoldering emotions are revealed.I vanish into reflection,It is a metamorphosis of the heart,

Even as this page weathers in time.

The dance of beauty and decay,Releasing the natural forces of transformation.

The bell tower measures our time.

— LC

19

Denise DriscollDNA Blanket: Labyrinth

Working incrementally, building an accumulation of parts, I find my own voice among the myriad messages encountered each day. Fragmenting and reassembling materials piece by piece models any transformation within my grasp.

In blanket-like forms, I color-code the ACTG sequences of human DNA, the infinite complexityheld in common between myself and every otherhuman. What is forms a foundation for what might be.

The envelope is a container that may be empty or full, transparent or opaque, open or closed. Connected with a web of string, these painted paper envelopes become a labyrinth, the mysteriousand the familiar encountered one moment at a time.

— DD

left and following page:

Denise Driscoll DNA Blanket: Labyrinth (detail) 2008paper, paint, string168” x 156”

23

Michael FrassinelliPianista Observatorium

The Pianista Observatorium is part of an ongoing body of work,developed over the last few years about a fictional tribe knownas the Pianistas, an obscure culture that used piano parts as theraw material for all their basic needs, in much the same waytribes from the Great Plains utilized the buffalo. These artifactsinclude tools, ceremonial objects, masks, costumes and jewelry,musical instruments, shelter, weapons and other items. Theoriginal purpose for these objects, how they are described byart historians and anthropologists, and what happened to theseobjects over the course of history is all part of an on-goingstoryline, which continues to evolve. The objects, materials andwritten documentation are exhibited in the style and tone of aNatural History Museum.

The series examines and pokes fun at the relationship between “primitive” cultures and museums, while at the sametime exploring my interest in the history and transformation of objects and materials.

— MF

left and following page:

Michael Frassinelli Pianista Observatorium (details and installation view), 2008piano parts: various woods, stell and copper wire, felt, ivory, hardware and mechanisms, recorded sound132” x 96” x 96”

27

Lisa KellnerUntitled (The Emperor Has No Clothes)

Merging materiality and language, this installation exploresaspects of the physical and emotional veneer. It examinesthe nature and efficacy of a cultural construct.

Silk, a material laden with history and meaning, is usedhere to assemble a facade. Unique to silk is the ability to retain the shape of objects and forms no longer present. Construction encompasses repetition withoutreplication, suggesting the import of the fragment as wellas the whole.

Partially concealed by the silk structure, text, derived from Senatorial debates, is used to outline the original US Senate building. Language can craft a point of viewfrom which leaders and nations are formed. Ultimately,this piece sifts through the superficiality of words and objects in forming the structure of an image.

— LK

Lisa Kellner Untitled (The Emperor Has No Clothes), 2008silk organza, thread, dye, wood, ink, monofilament, text83” x 228” x 32”

29

Lisa KellnerUntitled (The Emperor Has No Clothes), 2008silk organza, thread, dye, wood, ink, monofilament, text83” x 228” x 32”

31

Yuya ShiratoriRE: Air

Trying to speak with material is the mostimportant part of my working process.Smell it, Touch it, See it, Cut it, Weave it,Slice it, Sew it ... I do a lot of experimentsas much as possible, and then find the bestway for the specific space. I RE: use thewasted material and try to find the possibilities of what the materials want to be next. The process I had for making RE: Air is not very complicated. I just continue the same process over and over.Slice and Glue down. I see the material in front of me, and follow my hands, materials, and tools. I need to react withwhat material I am using, and what kind ofenvironment in the world I am living now.

— YS

Yuya Shiratori RE: Air (detail) 2008inner tubes, glue, monofilament, chairdimensions variable

33

Yuya Shiratori RE: Air (installation view and detail) 2008inner tubes, glue, monofilament, chairdimensions variable

Jodi Colella

Seeds, 2008felted wooldimensions variable

Undercurrent, 2008aluminum screen, steel wire72” x 108” x 7”

EXHIBITION LIST

Denise Driscoll

DNA Blanket: Labyrinth, 2008paper, paint, string168” x 156”

Gene Packets, 2008paper, paint, string36” x 12”

One small change, 2008paper, glue, contributed words and objectsdimensions variable

Linc Cornell

Beach Knots, 2008found beach knots, photographydimensions variable

Michael Frassinelli

Constellations, 2008piano partsdimensions variable

Pianista Observatorium, 2008piano parts: various woods, steel and copper wire, felt, ivory,hardware and mechanisms, recorded sound132” x 96” x 96”

Yuya Shiratori

RE: Air, 2008inner tubes, glue, monofilament, chairdimensions variable

Omoide in my Head, 2008graphite on paper72” x 43”

Lisa Kellner

Untitled (The Emperor Has No Clothes),2008silk organza, thread, dye, wood, ink,monofilament, text83” x 228” x 32”

Continuum, The Structure of Happening, andTethered Unfolding of Everything, 2008graphite on paper21” x 30”

Traverse, 2008 silk organza, metal framing, text, glue22” x 22” x 2”

Walked Ways, 2008silk organza, metal framing, text, glue12” x 12” x 2”

36

Jodi Colella received a BA fromBoston University (1981) and studiedat Massachusetts College of Art,School of the Museum of Fine Arts,Danforth Museum School and CastleHill Center for the Arts. Her workhas been included in national exhibitions including CambridgeArtists Association, Fuller Craft Museum, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Blanche Ames Art Exhibition, The Center for Art in Natick and the Danforth Museum. She teachesworkshops at the DeCordova Museum School and several otherprivate venues. Colella resides inWellesley, MA.

Denise Driscoll received her MFAfrom the Art Institute of Boston atLesley University (2007) and a BAfrom the University of South Carolina(1982). Her work has been exhibitedat the Art Institute of Boston, theBoston Center for the Arts, the Danforth Museum, the Center forArts in Natick and other cultural centers in the Boston area. As curator at Holliston High School’sStudio 370, she forges connectionsbetween contemporary artists andstudents. Working individually andwith groups of all ages, she developsinstallations, collaborative projectsand site-specific public art. Driscolllives with her family in Holliston, MA.

ARTIST BIOS

Linc Cornell received his MFAfrom the Art Institute of Boston atLesley University (2007) and his BS in Photojournalism from Syracuse Uni-versity (1979). He has been awardedover 25 local and national awardsduring his career as an advertisingand corporate photographer. In2008, his sculptural installations haveappeared in the 30th ContemporarySculpture show at Chesterwood(Stockbridge, MA) and Art in the Park(Worcester, MA) where he wasawarded 2nd place. Linc was recentlyelected to the Lesley UniversityAlumni Council and he is the WestonHigh School’s Boys Varsity HockeyCoach. Cornell resides in Natick, MA.

Michael Frassinelli studiedgraphic design in college with the intention of becoming an illustrator,but while there developed a love ofsculpture and installation work. Since then he has lived and taught inNantucket, and has been a scenic designer in Berkeley, California,among other things. He currentlyteaches art at the Dana Hall Schoolin Wellesley, MA where he is also Director of the Dana Art Gallery. He lives and keeps a studio in nearbyHolliston, MA with his wife Katie andtwins, Bobby and Libby.

37

Lisa Kellner resides in New YorkCity and rural Virginia. She receivedher MFA from The Art Institute ofBoston in 2008. Kellner completedher undergraduate studies at BostonUniversity and The School of VisualArts in New York. Recently, her work was included in several groupexhibitions including: Here and Nowat Transformer Gallery (DC), I Dream of Genomes, at the Islip ArtMuseum (NY) and the Boston YoungContemporaries exhibition (MA). Inaddition to this exhibition, she is participating in the Fall 2008 Providence Art Windows in Providence,RI with the site-specific installation,Inner Urban Sanctum.

Yuya Shiratori is an undergradu-ate at Massachusetts College of Art and he has also studied at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. His work has been exhibited at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown MA, theBoston Center for the Arts and theArt Institute of Boston. Shiratori recently traveled to Thailand to studymethods of bamboo construction. He is from Yokohama, Japan and currently lives in Boston.

38

The artists of Material Meditationwould like to thank:

— the Exhibitions Committee at the New Art Center for giving us the opportunity to exhibit in their beautiful gallery space.

— Ceci Mendez and all the New Art Center staff: Dana Berry, Cori Champagne,Mindy Gregory Seiber and Kate Wisnioski who managed the thousand detailswith grace and enthusiasm.

— the many volunteers that helped with the opening reception, preparation and tending of the gallery.

To Wayne, Merry and Devon who endure all my questions. Also, to familyand friends, for all their support and encouragement. — JC

Thanks Annie, Ben and Lois! To long summer days on the Vineyard Sound in Swish. — LC

Thank you to everyone who folded envelopes with me and kept life together while I folded and tied: Tom, Jeremiah, Hannah, Pam, Becky,Karen, and Marytha. — DD

Thank you to my wife Katie for supporting me through a manic summer,and to all those who donated andhelped move all those pianos. — MF

Thanks David! — LK

Thank you to all bikers in Boston! — YS

Finally, the artists would like to acknowledge each other, whose vision and focused work made Material Meditation possible.

CONTACT

Michael Frassinelli detail of shadow cast by Pianista Observatorium

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT& SPECIAL THANKS

Jodi Colellawww.jodicolella.com

Linc Cornellwww.linccornell.com

Denise Driscollwww.denisedriscoll.com

Lisa Kellnerwww.lisakellner.com

Michael Frassinelliwww.michaelfrassinelli.net

Yuya Shiratoriwww.yuyast.com

New Art Centerwww.newartcenter.org

40

CREDITSPhotography:Jodi Colella, Linc Cornell, Denise Driscoll, Lisa Kellner, Ceci Mendez

Design: Denise Driscoll

Copyright © 2008 the artists and the authors.All rights reserved.

front and back covers:

Yuya Shiratori detail of shadow cast by RE: Air

Published on the occasion of the exhibition:

Material MeditationCurated by Denise DriscollNew Art CenterSeptember 15 — October 26, 2008

Jodi ColellaLinc CornellDenise DriscollMichael FrassinelliLisa KellnerYuya Shiratori

This exhibition is mounted through the New Art Center’s Curatorial Opportunity Programand was funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.