Handwerker Gallery to Exhibit Gary Hill's 'Wall Piece'

Video artist Gary Hill’s installation Wall Piece will be on display at the Handwerker Gallery from March 4 to April 7. An opening reception for the exhibit --- the second offering of the spring Contemporary Artists Series --- will be held in the gallery on Thursday, March 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. On Thursday, March 28, a roundtable discussion, "Performing the Image," will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the gallery. All events are free and open to the public.

Turning from his early work in sculpture, Hill began experimenting with video in the 1970s. He has since expanded into installations and performance work. In his 2000 video and sound installation Wall Piece, a man flings himself repeatedly at a wall, uttering a single word with each collision, so that the impact modifies the sound of his voice. As his body strikes the wall, a single flash of high-intensity light illuminates his position. These so-called "speech acts" have been filmed and edited to form a stroboscopic sequence showing the body frozen in various positions against the wall. A strobe light, mounted on the floor of a room and focused on a projection of this film, flashes at 60 cycles per minute. Going in and out of synchronization with the recorded sequence of illuminated images, these flashes precede, echo, or, when in unison, obliterate them. (See slide show of 11 frames.)

Hill has received numerous awards and honors, including a MacArthur fellowship, popularly called the "genius award." His work has been exhibited at venues worldwide.

The Handwerker Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (Thursday until 9:00 p.m.); Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 2:00-6:00 p.m.

The exhibit was made possible by Rayne Roper Wilder, the Gary Hill Studio, and Donald Young Gallery.

More information on Gary Hill is available at www.pixcentrix.co.uk/pomo/video/hill.htm.