In the Valley of the Sun

source: sonomaedu

The University Art Gallery at Sonoma State University is pleased to announce In the Valley of the Sun, a multimedia installation by collaborative artists Kevin Cooley and Phillip Andrew Lewis, which opens with a reception on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-6 p.m., and will be on view through Sunday, Dec. 7. The artists will discuss their work during a noon lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

The interplay between examination of materiality and poetic references to theory forms Kevin Cooley and Phillip Andrew Lewis’ creative practice, driving their work into unexpected territory. Their works consistently act as a meditation on process as well as a response to a particular time or place.

For their new, site-specific installation In the Valley of the Sun, the artists conducted research into the origins of the word Sonoma, and the title of their work is an obvious reference to the meaning of Sonoma as “the Valley of the Moon.”

Working from these translations–which, according to ancient legends of local Native American tribes, describes Sonoma as the territory where the moon chose its permanent nesting place–Cooley and Lewis question this reference to the ‘end’ or ‘final moment’ and create works which extend the universal experience of measuring time.

They will use a variety of outdated and nearly extinct technologies to create an immersive installation about the experience of duration in relation to how it is represented. Ultimately, the installation will be a simulated, yet literal representation of time.

Kevin Cooley is a Los Angeles-based photographer and video artist whose solo work has been described as capturing “the sublime intersection of man and nature.” He holds an MFA in Photography from the School of the Visual Arts in New York.

Phillip Andrew Lewis is an interdisciplinary artist working with photography, objects, digital media, video, sound and installation. His work often connects his creative practice with historical events and revolves around the investigation of light, sound, space, and time. Lewis currently teaches and heads the photography and media program at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. Both artists have exhibited their work nationally and internationally.

Since 1978, the University Art Gallery at Sonoma State University has been a central part of Sonoma County’s growing visual arts community. The Art Gallery’s mission is to serve as a source of educational and cultural enrichment for the campus and surrounding communities through exhibitions, programs and publications that promote the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary visual art from throughout the United States and beyond.
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source: kevincooleynet

For their new, site-specific installation In the Valley of the Sun, the artists Kevin Cooley and Phillip Andrew Lewis worked from a translation of the local indigenous, Coast Miwok word sonoma as “valley of the moon.” According to ancient legends of local Native American groups, the moon chose the territory of Sonoma as its permanent nesting place.

Cooley and Lewis question this reference to the ‘end’ or ‘final moment’ and create works extending the universal experience of measuring time. Their sculptures use a variety of outdated and nearly extinct technologies to create an immersive installation about the experience of duration in relation to how it is represented. Ultimately, the installation is a simulated, yet literal, representation of time’s passage.
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source: phillipandrewlewis

Phillip Andrew Lewis
b.1973, Memphis, TN (USA)

Phillip Andrew Lewis is a conceptually-based artist working in photography, objects, digital media, video, sound and installation. His creative research often responds to historical events, psychology, and phenomenology. This work consistently examines duration, perceptual limits and attentive observation. In addition to Lewis’ individual studio practice, he is actively involved in the process of collaboration with artists, professionals, and other groups.

Phillip has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally. He received a 2012 Creative Capital Grant in Visual Art for his ongoing long-term project entitled SYNONYM. He has also received generous support for his research from the Foundation for Contemporary Art in New York, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, The Center for Creative Photography, Tennessee Arts Commission, MakeWork, University of Tennessee, and the Urban Arts Commission. In 2005, Phillip co-founded Medicine Factory, an independent arts organization in downtown Memphis committed to supporting installation-based works. He currently teaches in the photography and media art program at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.
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source: creative-capitalorg

Phillip Andrew Lewis is a Tennessee based artist working in video, sound, photography, sculpture and installation. His creative research responds to historical events, psychology, phenomenology and physics. This work consistently examines duration, perceptual limits and attentive observation. In addition to his individual pursuits, Lewis is involved in a series of long-term evolving collaborations. Lewis is the recipient of awards from numerous organizations including the Bemis Center for the Arts Fellowship, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant and the Tennessee Arts Commission, where he received an Individual Artist Fellowship, among others. He currently teaches in the photography and media program at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.