PVCC Instructors Exhibit at Mcguffey

Adjunct instructors Fenella Belle and Stacey Evans displayed collaborative work Feb. 5 at McGuffey Art Center. The monthly “First Fridays” in downtown Charlottesville was busy, with hundreds of visitors at a time.

According to Belle, around 1,000 people visited the exhibit throughout the night. “It is hard to say, but I did have to buy four cases of wine,” she said.

The exhibit, named “Looplab (pling pling),” included draperies, paintings and two interactive installations. One was moving photography, with participants encouraged to step into the projection with lab coats or large white cards. The participant was to observe small portions as a separate entity. The second interactive piece was a magnetic amalgamation of cut-up photographs by Stacey Evans. With this, participants were encouraged to rearrange the photos in any way they saw fit.

Both have been on display at PVCC prior to their display at McGuffey. The projection was on display for “Let There Be Light” and the interactive magnetic sculpture in the West Gallery of the Dickinson Building.

Looplab is an experiment in social feedback loops. The exhibits aims for the multiplication and expansion of participation, conversation and collaboration. Evans said, “It’s kind of circular. If someone steps into it, someone creates something, and it just kind of continues.”

In the projection piece, called Space Scrambler, participants stand in front of a projector and use large cards to examine smaller parts of the work. By holding the cards closer or farther away, the participant can zoom in and out on their view of the project. “It’s about pulling somebody in it … to start to transform the space onto these different cards. And then understanding that the more they move in and out, the actual light falling on the card is changing in scale and color. If you distort it or change it, small changes impact the overall scene,” said Stacey Evans.

The collaboration for the exhibit began about a year ago when Nia Stoddard, a mutual friend, suggested it. The two had also been working together at PVCC for years and collaborated on a summer camp at McGuffey in the past.

The exhibit is on display at through Feb. 28.