The Art Galleries of the Bower School of Music & the Arts present “Matthew Shlian: Telemetry,” with an opening reception and lecture Thursday, Jan. 26. The lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the U. Tobe Hall in the Music Building, and the reception follows at the Main Gallery in the Arts Complex. The exhibition runs through March 2.
Shlian is an artist/designer and founder of the Initiative Artist Studio in Ann Arbor, Mich. His work extends from drawings to large-scale installations to collaborations with leading scientists at the University of Michigan. His work for the National Science Foundation explores paper folding structures on the macro level translated to the nano-scale. His client list includes Ghostly International, Apple, P&G, Facebook, Levi’s, Sesame Street and the Queen of Jordan.
As a paper engineer, his work is rooted in print media, book arts and commercial design, Shlian says in his artist’s statement:
“Beginning with an initial fold, a single action causes a transfer of energy to subsequent folds, which ultimately manifest in drawings and three dimensional forms. I use my engineering skills to create kinetic sculptures which have lead to collaborations with scientists at the University of Michigan. Researchers see paper engineering as a metaphor for scientific principals; I see their inquiry as basis for artistic inspiration. In my studio I am a collaborator, explorer and inventor. I begin with a system of folding and at a particular moment the material takes over.”
The exhibit represents FGCU Art Galleries’ third year of Crossroads: Art and Science Residency and Exhibition. Each year an artist is invited to FGCU to explore a different connection between art and science while working with faculty and students.
“Matthew Shlian was a natural fit for Crossroads as he has been collaborating with scientists throughout his career,” according to John Loscuito, Gallery Director. “The essay in the exhibition catalogue provides an introduction into the variety of ways he has influenced scientists and they have influenced him.”
For this exhibition Shlian has created new works of art including a collaborative piece with students in Dr. Andy Owens’ “Alternative Printmaking” course. He spent a week with the students, generating monotype prints that were transformed into one of his folded paper constructions that the students also helped assemble and install.
This exhibition is made possible with the generous support of Gene and Lee Seidler; Alice and Dean Fjelstul; Thomas Riley Studio; The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel; and the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
The gallery is in the Arts Complex on FGCU’s main campus at 10501 FGCU Blvd. S. Parking is available in Lot 7 for gallery visitors. Regular viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.