Still of LoopLoop by Patrick Bergeron Courtesy WPAOpening Thursday, the Washington Project for the Arts will present their annual Experimental Media Series, a juried show that highlights a wide selection of video and sound art.
Chosen from 150 entries, the show consists of a total of 27 pieces, including five sound art selections and six student works. Juried by Kelly Gordon, Associate Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and produced by the Washington Project for the Arts, the selected entries will be presented in screenings over five days.
During the second night, October 1, at the Phillips Collection, two of the most compelling entries will be awarded the Kraft Prize for New Media and the WPA Experimental Art Prize, both worth $750.
With no overarching theme, the selected entries vary widely in content, style and length. Product Placements by Jessica Westbrook shows abstract crushed soda cans hovering over static nature scenes, giving commentary on consumer culture and the environment.
A longer and more complex composition by Patrick Bergeron layers video loop of urban street scenes, stacked side by side like train tracks. LoopLoop continues the train theme throughout the piece, expanding and contracting both visually and in tempo. In contrast, the minimal works by Steven Riebel are short, sweet and soothing, lasting only 40 seconds.
The Experimental Media Series opens Thursday at the Phillips Collection in conjunction with Phillips After 5. The opening event is free, but there is a suggested donation. 6:30 p.m.
The series continues on October 1 at the Philips Collection, October 13 and 14 at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Falvey Hall at 7 p.m., and October 15 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at 8 p.m.
