Light, sound and sculpture mix in Carroll Gallery exhibit

Installations of sculpture, light and sound define “Chromatic Surfaces,” the current exhibit at the Carroll Gallery. The exhibit in the Woldenberg Art Center on the Tulane University uptown campus is a collaboration between composer Rick Snow and sculptor Jamey Grimes.

Snow is a professor of practice in the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane. Grimes teaches at the University of Alabama.  

“Last year, Rick Snow approached me about having something special in the Carroll ” said curator Laura Richens. “We thought it would be great to have something interdisciplinary and exciting for the beginning of the school year.”

“We thought it would be great to have something interdisciplinary and exciting for the beginning of the school year.”

Laura Richens, curator, Carroll Gallery of the Newcomb Art Department

The immersive environment of ‘Chromatic Surfaces’ is the first of its kind at the gallery, Richens said. In a darkened room, vibrant projections illuminate a corrugated sculpture. Curved metal cones surround the central piece, producing submarine melodies.
 
“The objects and environments I create are fueled by encounters with natural forces, both real and imagined,” said Grimes. “Inspired by these encounters, unique forms are generated through the manipulation of synthetic materials. These forms accumulate to engulf the viewer in an experience that is simultaneously unsettling and serene.”

“Jamey walks into a gallery and makes a new sculpture out of it in a day,” said Snow, who teaches music science and technology. “He improvises this shape, which is really complex and beautiful.”

While Grimes sculpts the centerpiece, Snow creates a soundtrack. 

Snow uses custom software, home theater transducers and curved sheets of metal to create a natural sound. “I think that my music tends to be nebulous and amorphous,” Snow said. “His shapes are clearly in the same vein, so they work well together.”

The artists ultimately hope to evoke a connection to the natural world. 

The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 30. 

Jamie Logan is a senior in the School of Liberal Arts, majoring in English and classical studies. She’s also pursuing a minor in psychology from the School of Science and Engineering.