'Constructed' photos featured at West campus gallery

The newly renovated ArtSpace West installation gallery on ASU’s West campus celebrates the opening of a new season with “Constructed Photos: The Four Elements,” by Chicago-area artist Paula Palmer.

The exhibition is on display through Sept. 21 in ArtSpace West, room 228 of the University Center Building at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free; visitor parking on campus is $2 per hour.

“Constructed Photos” is a series of “constructed” digital photos, composed of disparate images that explore aspects of the four elements of nature. Earth, Air, Fire and Water, according to ancient Greek philosophy, represent nature and the forces of energy in our world. It was believed that the four elements of nature were woven together and possessed an over-arching interconnectedness that sustained life and universal balance.

“The introductory works in the exhibition, Terra, Aero, Incendia and Aqua, are found arrangements of fabric that, for me, became visual metaphors for the Four Elements and serve as references for the exhibit,” Palmer said.

“For me the compelling part of making art is the surprise of creation, allowing unexpected images to come forth,” she said. “In this series, images that teeter between reality and abstraction have emerged. Finding meaning in the unexpected is a catalyst for further exploration. I trust intuition, chance, and an imprinted aesthetic to drive my process in creating images that invite various interpretations.”

“Paula’s creations are so incredible intriguing because she delights in the mystery of surprise, both in the creating of her work and what shows up in the process and, she hopes, in the possibilities allowed for the viewer,” said Jeff Kennedy, a faculty member in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and artistic director for the West campus.

Palmer’s exhibit is the first of three to be hosted by ArtSpace West during the fall semester. Also on the schedule are “Call and Response: War and Peace,” art work created by students and faculty in response to this year’s academic themes, opening Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 p.m. (running through Oct. 19); and “nests,” an interactive installation using a 3-D games that explores the places we live by New College professor Barry Moon, opening Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. (running through Nov. 9).

For more information about other arts events this fall at the West campus, call the arts line at 602-543-2787 or visit http://campus.asu.edu/west/events.