Solar Presence
Franconia Fellowship Proposal
Aaron Marx
Solar Presence is sculpture and new media installation exploring digital fabrication, interactive sculpture, and shifting perceptions of space. Beginning with the changing nature of our conception of the universe, this project considers the significant paradigm shifts in science through history, and speculates on our relationship with the spiritual nature of the cosmos. Using deconstructed maps, illuminated orbs, and reconstituted platonic forms, this work is a large scale shattered sphere, illuminated from within, and responsive to human presence.
Some questions this work addresses are: How do shifts in our understanding of the universe help us to come to terms with the ever increasing demand for technology in art and architectural design? What are the various ways to assemble form using digital fabrication techniques, and how can creative decision making be incorporated into both the planning and the act of making? How can light impact perception and emotion? In what ways can technology help to make public art more interactive, and how can electronics be incorporated into outdoor work?
This fall I participated in the Art and Artists Celebration with Public Art Saint Paul, and attended the “North Star Performance Pour.” The friendship, spirit of collaboration, and openness to participation inspired me to apply for this fellowship. Being a part of this community would be extremely rewarding and help to expand my work. Shifting the materiality of my explorations to wood this fellowship would allow me to expand my art making practice through new forms of fabrication, assembly, and representation. I am interested in using nature to help shape and tell a story in my art, and looking at the way art can shift between day and night. I have great respect for all of the artists who are, or have been, involved in Franconia, and would be honored to be considered for this fellowship. Thank you for your consideration.