Urban Culture Project Presents CINEMA CITY: AN INSTALLATION BY RUSS NORDMAN AND JODY BOYER Archival research, historic urban landscapes, architecture, urban myths and current events inspire an evolving miniature city by Iowa-based artists; public input and participation invited
Cinema City: An Installation by Russ Nordman and Jody Boyer Paragraph & Urban Culture Project Space 21-23 East 12th Street, KC MO 64105 816.221.5115
Exhibition runs Saturday, August 2-Saturday, October 4 Artists in residence: Saturdays August 9, August 23, September 6, September 20, October 4 Third Friday reception: September 19, 6-9pm
Iowa-based artists Russ Nordman and Jody Boyer present a dynamic installation entitled Cinema City. Throughout Paragraph gallery the artists are creating an evolving miniature city assembled from video projections, paper buildings, and found materials. A model train, equipped with live-feed wireless video camera, will run throughout the constructed city, allowing visitors to experience the installation “cinematically” in the adjacent Project Space.
Cinema City is inspired by urban landscapes that no longer exist, that in essence, exist only through their photographic and cinematic documentation. Digital databases at libraries and archives across the country contain photographic archives of the architecture of American cities now lost or radically altered due to urban renewal and new development—these sources will be used as artistic inspiration for the design of Cinema City. Further, building upon the mission of Urban Culture Project to revive Kansas City’s downtown through arts and culture, and playing upon the architecture of Paragraph gallery, the installation will be viewable “through the storefront,” harking back to a time when the storefront display was a common site in vibrant American downtowns.
During the exhibition Cinema City will continually change. The artists will be in residence at the gallery on a series of Saturdays (see above) to add to the environment and to talk with the public, as well as to work with the public. During these Saturdays visitors will be invited to assist with urban growth by helping with the expansion of real estate and the annexing of rural areas adjacent to Cinema City through the placement of additional buildings provided by the artists.
Boyer and Nordman will maintain a blog, www.thecinemacity.com, throughout the course of the project. The public can submit photos of architecture and buildings from their own personal archives via the website. Boyer and Nordman will integrate these images into Cinema City during Saturday artist residencies. A post exhibition documentation catalog will be designed and self published by the artists.
Jody Boyer is an intermedia artist originally from Portland, Oregon. In her work she explores the interdisciplinary possibilities of photography and new media with a specific interest in landscape, memory and perception. She received her B.A. from Reed College and her M.A. in Intermedia and Video Art from the University of Iowa. Her work has been shown across the country, including at the Des Moines Art Center, Womanmade Gallery in Chicago, LivingArts, and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Visit www.jodyboyer.com for more information.
Russ Nordman is an Associate Professor of Intermedia and Digital Art at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In his work he transforms observations of the ordinary and the everyday into contemplative and imaginary commentary on the human experience. His work has been exhibited internationally, including the California Museum of Photography, the Des Moines Art Center, LivingArts and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Visit http://www.russnordman.com for more information.
*images shown are installation details of Paramnesia, a related 2007 installation presented at Living Arts, Tulsa.
