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A collaboration between Ed Kerns, Eugene H. Clapp Professor of Art, and Tom DiGiovanni ’96, director of the Brass Ensemble and Concert and Pep Bands, has resulted in a unique exhibition of digital art and a complementary CD. Since May 4, the work has been on display noon-5 p.m. at the Ahlum Gallery, 106 North Fourth Street, Easton, and will remain until June 28.
The exhibition showcases large-scale narrative panels created by Kerns and musical selections based on the artwork composed by DiGiovanni.
“This is an exciting time to be in digital art because of the collaborative aspects,” says Kerns. “I have done this type of collaboration before with jazz musicians. They would play as I was painting or drawing, so we would influence each other. Tom and I took a different track. He chose four set pieces and did improvisational responses to the work at the Williams Center.”
“The most difficult part of this type of collaboration is meshing the art and the music,” adds Kerns. “They should be companions with mutual influence. It’s a high form of synergy.”
The CD, which features a medley of experimental jazz selections, pairs a keyboard with percussion instruments. It may be purchased for $17 during the exhibition’s run and will remain on sale in small museum shops across the country. The project also will become part of design packages that include scarves, tote bags, shirts, prints, and other digital products.
Senior art majors Gabriel Fernandez-Obregon (Ridgewood, N.J.) and Jackie Bingham (Lunenberg, Mass.) designed the CD cover and liner notes using digital technology. Fernandez-Obregon served as visual designer and Bingham worked as design coordinator for the project.
Under the guidance of Lew Minter, media lab director at Lafayette’s Williams Visual Arts Building, Fernandez-Obregon created another CD cover and promotional pieces as part of an independent study last semester (see related story).
He frequently composes music for keyboards and guitar and says he is always looking for ways to apply his talents as a writer, musician, and creative designer.
“My natural passion has always been expression through both musical and visual forms of art. I feel as though there is a lot that can be said through either medium,” he explains.
Fernandez-Obregon is a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, where he has previously served as rush chairman. He participates in intramural sports and attends fundraising events such as the annual cancer walk in Washington, D.C. He has also been a D.J. for WJRH, the campus radio station.
A double major in art and economics and business, Bingham is involved in a year-long collaboration with New York artist Wopo Holup, who has been commissioned to create a roadside sculpture along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (see related story) Using the art department’s state-of-the-art computers and printers, Bingham is designing digital images of Holup’s unique piece of art. She is also working with Minter on a marketing campaign to clean up downtown Easton.
“I’m being exposed to so many different things every day,” says Bingham. “I have no idea where else I would be able to get this type of experience without traveling into New York City as an intern. Even then, I think I have a wider range of materials and people to work with here at Lafayette than in the city.”
A member of the track and field team, Bingham has been on the Patriot League Sports Academic Honor Roll and was voted “Most Improved Athlete” by track team coaches. She works in Lafayette’s Bailey Health Center on “Perception is not Reality,” a social norms campaign to improve campus health and decrease harmful behaviors. Bingham has also done volunteer work through Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center.