film by eric minh swenson. produced by ac projects. music by david tagg.
composed of mirror, led lighting, custom built electronic equipment and arduino programming
amalgamated with a preexisting structure, this architectural intervention, at first, seems alien in context to the bleak landscape. upon further viewing, lucid stead imposes a delirious, almost spiritual experience. like the enveloping vista that changes hue as time passes, lucid stead
transforms. in daylight the 70 year old homesteader shack, that serves as the armature of the piece, reflects and refracts the surrounding terrain like a mirage or an hallucination. as the sun tucks behind the mountains, slowly shifting, geometric color fields emerge until they hover in the desolate darkness.
this transformation also adapts personal perception, realigning one's sensory priorities. a heightened awareness of solitude and the measured pace of the environment is realized.
lucid stead draws upon the ideas of the projected and reflected light of smith's recent works, while engaging with the isolation of the desert milieu. smith iii explores the seclusion of california's high desert and the abrupt austerity of its built environment.
phillip k smith iii received his bachelor of fine arts and bachelor of architecture at the rhode island school of design. he draws inspiration from the reductive logic of minimalism and the optic sensation of california's light and space movement. smith's innovation and exploitation of new technologies keeps these ideologies current. he was honored as the 2010 artist in residence at the palm springs art museum and was included in the exhibition, smooth operations:
substance and surface in southern california art, alongside artists such as peter alexander, larry bell, dewain valentine, and craig kauffman at the museum of art and history in lancaster ca. he has been asked to return to the museum for a solo exhibition opening in january 2014. smith iii has been commissioned to create over a dozen monumental art works and his light based sculptures are collected nationwide.
for more info on eric minh swenson visit his website at thuvanarts.com.
his art films can be seen at thuvanarts.com/take1