SYNAPSE Collaboration
Synapse: The place at which a nerve impulse passes from one neuron to another. Neurons are cells that transmit information between your brain and other parts of the central nervous system via electrical and chemical signals.
SYNAPSE is a collaboration between Lezlie Amara Piper, Derek Eklund, and Rachel Siegel, curated by Lezlie Amara Piper and shown at the Astoria Visual Arts Gallery in Astoria, Oregon. It consists of a collection of unusual works: paintings that "extend off the square" and move with the current of the air, AR art with imagery and sound (accessed through personal devices) that brought large synapses into the room, interactive art pieces and a 16 foot installation of hundreds of individual "dendrites" made of harvested plant matter. This show is available to travel.
installations
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paintings (select)
artist statement
We are one. The process of neural synapse shares a striking resemblance to other processes and imagery in the natural world. Riverways move water through channels that look like a nervous system; animals and plants receive the unique information of a particular stream and add their own influence. A forest uses a mycelial network to communicate between trees and the process looks and acts much like that in the human body. Plants have glutamate receptors with all the same features as neuronal receptors. Galaxies swirl in similar configurations. Neurons are like celestial filaments; connecting stars of consciousness; a conversation.
Bodies moving in space, interacting within our world and within the gallery allowed us to build connections, create pathways for learning, and form neural networks. The brain works not only through intense study but by physical engagement. Several artworks in the gallery space asked for participation and play to evoke connection and understanding. Viewers were invited to interact with this exhibit and experience connections and spark ideas.
Lezlie Amara Piper: https://www.lezlieamarapiper.com/ Derek Eklund: https:www.sourcerymedia.com/,
Rachel Siegel: https://www.rachelsiegel.net/,
AstoriaVisualArts.org. Special thanks to Astoria Visual Arts for helping to make this happen.