Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder have been collaborating since 2000,    producing numerous expanded cinema installations and performances that go beyond the category of moving image to incorporate the visual, mechanical and conceptual qualities of film projection. “The art of projection is an area we’ve been working in for 15 years creating ways of articulating the material substance of light,” says Luis. “In the same way a sculptor might work with a material they chisel away at, we find ways of carving, subtracting and adding light.” Sandra and Luis produce both performance and installation work. When performing, they are sometimes in front of an audience, while at other times they are in the projection booth each operating a projector. They will work in tandem with traditional film, experimental film and sometimes no film, just light. They come equipped with glass, colored filters and a humidifier that produces vapor. As the projector rolls, they each interact wit...

“Everything I do is related in some way to music,” says life-long musician Nancy Mooslin. “I’m either painting an actual piece of music or a harmonic progression of my own devising—whether it be of chords, scales, or intervals of notes.” Nancy who is enjoying her “first residency anywhere—ever,” was drawn to VCCA because of its proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the rich tradition of fiddle music found in the region.  She first became interested in this type of site-specific work—interweaving landscape into her pieces using photo transfers or drawings—on a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia where she photographed the Mekong River and Halong Bay. “The repetitive rhythmic patterns of moving water began to feel so musical to me.”   Visiting Buddhist temples on the trip, she heard chants. It became a natural progression to combine the two, overlaying the Buddhists chants onto her images of the local bodies of water. “Maybe I was just ready to embrace my surroundings a bit ...

“Ephemeral moments of beauty and comedy influence and guide my practice,” says VCCA Fellow David Farrar. “Lines of light cast through a venetian blind, a toilet roll dancing uninhibitedly in the gentle breeze of an extraction fan, the strong shadow cast from a streetlight illuminating a wooden pallet on the street. I repackage these moments as ethereal worlds isolated from the imperfections and noise of reality so that more people might appreciate the beauty of everyday occurrences.” In his practice which incorporates printmaking, woodwork, sculpture and installation, David makes use of humble materials and objects, subtly altering them in unexpected and, indeed, quite dysfunctional ways. In the VA hallway of VCCA’s Studio Barn, he changed the EXIT sign to read EXALT, cleverly maintaining the font and utilitarian position, high on the wall, so it takes awhile to notice it. When you do, it’s hard not to smile. “I enjoy installing these pieces in ways that could be overlooked at ...