Arts and sciences
This expression of “fantastical biology” by Leo Cho ’18 (pictured above) will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. The artwork, titled Evolutionary Divergence of Tetrapods, demonstrates the combined interests of Cho, who is planning to double major in biochemistry and art and art history.
Last summer, he was a temporary researcher at a radiation biology laboratory at the Republic of Korea’s National Cancer Center. He came across the publication, known in the radiation oncology field as the Red Journal, and learned that it solicits images and original artwork for its cover. Cho submitted this piece, which he made in high school using fine pens and markers as well as a cutout technique to reveal a soft, traditional Korean hanji paper underneath.
Evolutionary Divergence of Tetrapods “is a reminder of my introduction to the field of biology,” he explained in his artist’s statement. “Never having been taught formally before, I started to research concepts of biological evolution on my own and thought it would be interesting to design my own creatures to express the theory. Visible are the skeletons of the creatures that have diverged from a single species of my imagination through natural selection, entangled in the veins and arteries of a circulatory system. Looking back, the portrayed organisms do not make the most practical biological sense; nonetheless, it marked the beginning of my serious interest in the subject.”
Cho plans to attend medical school as well as continue “creating artwork based on what I learn from the sciences.”
Multimedia movement
Students from various corners of campus — the Korean Culture Association, the ballroom dance group, and the art department — were brought together by a new exhibition at the Picker Art Gallery. The exhibition, titled Jaye Rhee (after the artist), is on view until January 3.
The multimedia exhibition features video installations, photography from various points in Rhee’s career, and a two-channel installation titled The Perfect Moment, which she created specifically for Colgate.
Overall, her work encompasses different disciplines such as film, photography, dance, and music. Rhee “addresses a wide range of themes including … the body’s movement through space, relationships between aural and visual perception, and how memory is used to interpret the past,” explained Sarah Horowitz, curatorial assistant for the Picker Art Gallery and Longyear Museum of Anthropology.
Rhee, originally from Seoul, South Korea, lives in New York City. Her work has been featured in venues nationwide and around the world.
Anja Chávez, director of university museums, brought Rhee to Colgate. Rhee’s work with multiple disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences reflects the interdisciplinary nature of Colgate’s curriculum.
Student members of the Korean Culture Association and those majoring in art and art history led tours of the exhibition, while others coordinated and participated in performances. The leaders of Colgate’s ballroom dance group — Rebecca Leonard ’16, James Mitchell ’16, Brittney Wittmer ’16, and Ryan Hildebrandt ’17 — performed during the opening reception on September 17. Although ballroom dance isn’t Rhee’s focus, “her work and this exhibition in particular engage with dance and body movement in general, so we altered the idea of ballroom dance when we choreographed [the] piece” for the opening reception, Leonard said. “[We] put a more contemporary spin on it to fit in better with this exhibition.”
A concert by the Colgate Chamber Singers commemorated the exhibition’s public opening on October 2. Also, students were invited to attend a talk by the artist, as part of the Department of Art and Art History Lecture Series, on October 7.
— Jessica Rice ’16
A glimpse of the future
Part of Krystal Krunch’s Never Been to Me tour (Photo by Brian Ness)
Gazing into each others’ eyes, students developed their intuitive powers under the instruction of artist duo Krystal Krunch during the Never Been to Me tour.
Krystal Krunch — a.k.a. Asher Hartman and Haruko Tanaka — see and respond to energy in the body, the psyche, architectural spaces, and artworks. “We are dedicated to using intuitive reading to help people come in contact with their highest and best potential, discovering who they really are so that they might approach their lives and others with compassion, love, and wonder,” they state on their website.
The event launched Perfect Strangers: Machine Project and the Hamiltonians. Machine Project is a Los Angeles–based organization that brought artists to Hamilton for the fall semester to conduct interactive and innovative experiments with the public. The project was part of the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Visiting Artist-in-Residence program.
Keep your eyes open for the next Colgate Scene, when we’ll provide a deeper look into the Machine Project.
Bringing bluegrass to the opera house
Photo by Ronald Rietman
Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan ’65 picked the Earlville Opera House as a September stop on his Dharma Blues tour.
Although the Grammy winner’s roots are in bluegrass, Rowan has explored reggae-billy, Southwestern yodeling, country, Texas swing, and a tribute to Gene Autry, according to music critic Glen Herbert.
Rowan said that his latest songs “are a place on the spiritual journey where the commitment has been made, the intent established, and the journey begun. The doubts and resolutions on the spiritual journey are what drives Dharma Blues.”
The singer-songwriter’s career spans more than five decades. Rowan got his start as one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys in 1963. He became even more famous in the 1970s when he co-founded the group Old and In the Way, which included Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Vassar Clements. During that time, Rowan penned the classic song “Panama Red.”
Dharma Blues finds “the artist at another creative peak,” according to Music.com.
