JACK RYAN Safe Deposit Reprise Zeitgeist • Through October 25 by Erica Ciccarone
J
ust before the economic crisis that plunged the U.S. into its deepest depression since the 20s, there was another crash unique to Nashville. According to artist Jack Ryan, a meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere that summer and hit the gold geodesic dome of the Regions Bank on Charlotte Pike. It caused minimal damage to the dome, but the bank left its golden print on the space debris; gold paint embedded itself into its surface. The irony was not lost on Ryan, who will show a multi-media installment, Safe Deposit Reprise, at Zeitgeist this month. Ryan’s work with light and sound often employs loose narratives, uses artificial materials to imitate natural elements, and comments on the tension in human interaction with the environment. The materials for Safe Deposit Reprise include video, sound composition, sculpture, drawing, a bank vault, and the 65-gram meteorite itself.
the strength of our economic system. Of course, this isn’t the first time a meteorite or a geodesic has appeared in Ryan’s work, so the veracity of the story becomes subject to speculation as well. According to Ryan, the project’s direction is driven by the work of the Light and Space artists of the 1960s and influenced by noise music of the Pacific Northwest and trends in sound theory. “Treated as a centerpiece, sound invites input from many disciplines—science, art, philosophy, engineering, architecture, culture studies, and music,” he says. A former Nashvillian, Ryan still works with the arts collective Fugitive Projects, but he calls Eugene, Oregon, his home. Zeitgeist curator Lain York expects the exhibit to complement Seana Reilly’s monochromatic landscapes, which she creates with liquid graphite. Together, the work will comment on the intense forces of nature, asking viewers to consider the mental processes we have—and don’t have—to deal with them.
Regions Bank Meteorite (Recovered Fall), 2008–2014, Iron meteorite, 65 grams (roughly 1” x 1” x 1”)
Ryan says his work “treat[s] projects as tools of speculation,” an interesting choice of words given the unusual event. (In banking, “speculation” refers to the making of risky investments.) He notes that the geodesic dome is “the only man-made structure that becomes proportionally stronger as it increases in size.” Though round, it is composed of triangles that distribute stress equally across the structure. Although the bank’s golden helmet protected it from the force of flaming space debris, we can’t help but question
Weeping Meteor, 2009–2014, Electronics and audio media, wood, mixed media, 24” x 36” x 24”
The New Listeners (detail), 2010–2014, Conchs, steel, incandescent electronics, 24” x 24” x 30”
Jack Ryan’s exhibit Safe Deposit Reprise will be on exhibit through October 25. The opening reception will be held on October 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. in conjunction with Arts & Music @ Wedgewood/Houston. For more information please visit zeigest-art.com.
Marshall Stack/Conchs (detail), 2012–2014, Conchs, Foamular, plaster, cardboard, Rhino software, and laser cut elements, 48” x 30” x 30”
NashvilleArts.com
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