by Jeremy Stern
Jeremy Stern’s work “Following” at UNR's Sheppard Gallery was brilliant in many ways. It incorporated several different aspects including painting, digital technology, sound and user interactivity — all of which add a unique element to the piece.
Each of these elements were executed seamlessly, which tied the piece together well.
“Following” transformed the gallery into a starscape of Reno that produced sounds from the meadows as patrons walked across the gallery’s floor. The precision used to record sounds and play them back on the gallery floor’s imaginary map of Reno is astonishing. Having worked with the Arduino and various sound recording and editing software myself, I understand that this was not an easy task.
The exhibit really allowed people to connect with their environment in a way they likely wouldn’t in the real outdoors. It forced people to stop and listen to the sounds while gazing at the constellations splashed across the walls.
The idea of having the stars painted on the walls, rather than the ceiling, created an atmosphere that made visitors feel part of the environment rather than a distant observer.
I think that painting the map of Reno on the gallery floor that Stern used as a guide to record and play back his sounds would have added an even better effect. Although I had the pleasure of listening to Stern explain his work, much would have been lost had I explored the gallery without the knowledge that the grid-like floor had an imaginary map of Reno on it and that the sounds were from those actual locations. If Stern would have gone the extra step to replicate a map, the work would speak more for itself.
It would have been interesting to be able to visually see where in Reno one was standing while hearing the sounds. Without this visual element, I feel like it is hard to imagine the exact locations in which the sounds were recorded. Since so much work went into recording and playing back sounds based on these Reno locations, the map would have carried that vision through better.
Questions for the artist:
1. What made you decide to come up with this project?
2. How do you think people responded to your exhibit? Can you give some examples?
*Photo credit: unr.edu
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