S T E V E N P E S TA N A Steven Pestana is an ar tist working in new genre sculpture, installation, and mixed media. He was raised in South Florida before obtaining a BA in Art Histor y a t N e w Yo r k U n i v e r s i t y a n d M FA a t R h o d e I s l a n d S c h o o l o f D e s i g n . E x p l o r i n g t h e shared legacies of speculative thought running through the intersections of art, s c i e n c e , a n d t e c h n o l o g y, Pe st a n a u s e s h i s w o r k a s a v e h i c l e t o ex p l o r e b i g - p i c t u r e connections between disparate realms of everyday life and more general social issues. stevenpestana.com
GRIN GRIN is a contemporary art gallery located at The Plant in the historic Olneyville District of Providence, Rhode Island. Directed by Corey Oberlander and Lindsey Stapleton, GRIN was founded in 2013 as a space for artists to develop and exhibit their work with a steady curatorial hand. O u r i n t e n t i s t o d e v e l o p a n i n t e l l e c t u a l l y d e m a n d i n g y e t a e s t h e t i c a l ly p l e a s i n g program, focusing on emerging artists working across mediums. Our hope is to stimulate fresh dialogue while continuing to promote the development of the l o c a l c r e a t i v e c o m m u n i t y. O u r m i s s i o n i s t o s u p p o r t t h e c a r e e r s o f u n d e r ex p o s e d artists with a devotion to craft and conceptual advancement. grinprovidence.com
C O N TA C T 6 0 Va l l e y S t r e e t , U n i t 3 , P r o v i d e n c e , R h o d e I s l a n d 0 2 9 0 9 e. contact@grinprovidence.com p. 401 272 0796 Open Saturdays 12PM - 5PM by announcement, appointment and chance.
G EO M E T E R S T E V E N P ES TA N A
St eve n Pe st a n a a s k s t h i s q u e st i o n i n G EO M E T E R , h i s s e c o n d s o l o ex h i b i t i o n w i t h GRIN. Wo r k i n g i n s c u l p t u r e , i n st a l l a t i o n , a n d t wo - d i m e n s i o n a l m e d i a , Pe st a n a i s i n t h e b r o a d e s t t e r m s a n i m a g e - m a k e r. Fa s h i o n e d i n a n e c l e c t i c n a r r a t i v e - b a s e d m o d e o f a r t - m a k i n g r e c a l l i n g t h e s p ra w l i n g c o s m o l o g i e s o f M a tt h e w B a r n e y, A l e j a n d r o J o d o r o w s k y , D a v i d Fo s t e r Wa l l a c e , a n d e a r l y P i n k F l o y d , P e s t a n a ’s w o r k y i e l d s a distinctive and unexpected vision of humanity caught in the midst of cosmic scale, rife with harmonies and discords. G EO M E T E R d o u b l e s a s a s h a p e - s h i f t i n g j o u r n ey a c r o ss a r t i st i c m e d i a a n d t h e i r s y m b o l i c c o n n o t a t i o n s . M i n i n g a r c h i v e s o f s c i e n t i fi c d i a g r a m s a n d r e m i x i n g t h e m i n t o i n t r i c a t e l y d e t a i l e d t a b l e a u x , P e s t a n a r e c o n s i d e r s a r t ’s r o l e a s a m o d e o f representing, conveying, and even shaping knowledge. Hewn in materials as diverse as carbon, salt, and brass using millenia-old techniques such as casting, e t c h i n g , c a r p e n t r y , a n d m e t a l w o r k , P e s t a n a ’s i n v e s t i g a t i o n s i n t o t h e v a r i o u s p r o p erties of traditional (and not-so-traditional) media highlight their more general i n fl u e n c e i n t h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e i m a g e i n a r t , s c i e n c e , a n d t e c h n o l o g y . Fa c t u a l e l e m e n t s f r o m t h e h i s t o r y o f m e a s u r e m e n t a r e e m b e l l i s h e d w i t h f a n c i f u l , s p e c u l a t i v e fl o u r i s h e s a s t h e w o r k s i n G E O M E T E R c o n s i d e r t h e a g e - o l d c o n fl i c t between quantitative vs. qualitative measurement. Here, metaphor gives way to e n u m e ra t i o n , a n d n a t u ra l p h e n o m e n o n b e c o m e s t e c h n o l o g y. A l o n g t h e wa y, t h e s e w o r k s r e a w a k e n t h e q u e s t i o n o f w h a t i s t r u ly “ r e a l " : t h a t w h i c h i s b e f o r e u s e v e r y d a y, o r i t s s u p p o s e d e t e r n a l f o r m ? The eponymous centerpiece is a life-sized self-por trait of the ar tist posed in the a c t o f m e a s u r e m e n t , s i m u l t a n e o u s ly e v o k i n g a n d e x p l o d i n g t h e h i s t o r i c a l c o n v e n t i o n s o f p o r t raya l s o f g e o m e t e r s s u c h a s P y t h a g o ra s , Eu c l i d a n d N ew t o n . E l s e w h e r e , e n i g m a t i c “A r c h æ o m e t r i c R e c k o n e r s ” t a k e a c c o u n t o f o b s c u r e p h e n o m e n a v i a e q u a l ly o b l i q u e m a c h i n e r y. O t h e r p i e c e s s u g g e s t t h e v i s u a l i c o n o g ra p h y o f navigation and its celestial complement, underlining the shift of humanity away from our relationship with nature as both a connection and extension of it, towards the view of nature as a means, rather than an end. Whether gauging our environment through human-scaled units of measurement, geometric and mathematical abstractions, or symbolic concepts, at the core of Pestana's investigations is a search for insight into our everlasting yearning to feel at home in the world — a place much more alien than we may admit to o u r s e lv e s .
Tr u e N o r t h Lathe-turned Laminated Poplar, Cuban Mahogany Finish, Paste Finishing Wax, Cast Brass, Scorched Red Oak, Aluminum I-beam Bronze Wire Rope, Cast Iron Wire Rope Clips 6’ x 2&1/2’ 2015
B o r n e o n T h r o u g h t h e C a l m Vo i d St a i n l e s s St e e l , S c o r c h e d Wo o d , C a st C a r b o n , C a st S a lt , R e s i n 36”x12”x26” 2015
A C O N V E R S AT I O N B E T W E E N S T E V E N P ES TA N A A N D S A R A H M O N T R O S S
S a r a h M o n t r o s s - C a n y o u fi r s t e x p l a i n
S M - D o t h e r e fl e c t i v e , m e t a l s u r f a c e s
your process to create your recent
and
wall-mounted
relate to your interest in measurement
pieces,
like
Marsyas,
your
methods
of
mark-making
a n d w a y fi n d i n g ?
Supplicant? Steven Pestana- Pieces like Marsyas,
S P - Et c h i n g e n t e r e d m y ow n vo c a b u -
Supplicant and its sister piece, The
lary of media via jewelrymaking, which
Sadder Path of Pastoral Apollo were
I was approaching as a form of “tiny
created using the technique of etching.
s c u l p t u r e ”. I w a s d r a w n n o t o n l y t o t h e
Et c h i n g
is
a
means
of
transferring
images to metal dating back to at least t h e e a r ly M i d d l e A g e s . I n t h i s p r o c e s s , a
protective
fi l m
is
applied
to
the
s u r f a c e o f a m e t a l . T h e fi l m c a r r i e s t h e image
intended
for
the
fi n a l
piece,
exposing certain areas of the metal beneath — the lines of a drawing, for instance. The metal is then immersed in an acid, which “eats” away at the exposed areas (hence the etymological origins of the term “etching”).
i c a l ly c a r v e t h e i m a g e i n t o wa x , b u t more recent technologies allow images to be transferred via photo processes w i t h r e m a r k a b ly h i g h d e g r e e s o f d e t a i l . In fact, these processes were the foundation for huge leaps in the production integrated
mid-20th
circuitry
c e n t u r y.
This
around
the
connection
between archaic technologies developed
for
modern
artistic
analogues,
purposes, and
the
e n t b e a u t y, b u t a l s o t h e a b i l i t y t o u s e the metal as a sculptural surface, and the possibility of imbuing the drawing with sculptural qualities. Hence, while the drawing itself is representational, i t i s s i m u lt a n e o u s ly e m b e d d e d i n i t s ground. I like the idea that the image can be more than a representation of something, it can be the thing itself. Fo r i n s t a n c e , a c i r c u i t b o a r d , s e p a r a t e d from its useful context, may appear to be a drawing of a network, but in fact it
Artists such as Rembrandt would phys-
of
lustrous surface of metal for its inher-
their
science
is the network. That's something I try to capture in these etched pieces. This approach, wherein the object is the thing vs. the representation of the thing, was developed during my previous project, Metaphysics, but remains e q u a l ly
resonant
here.
A
central
t e n s i o n u n d e r ly i n g t h e i d e a s o f G e o m e ter is the contrast of qualitative forms of measurement against quantitative. How do the metaphors, ideals, and images that we employ to gauge our
shared between them is central to my
experience affect our understanding of
u s e n o t o n ly o f t h e e t c h i n g p r o c e s s ,
the world? How would a more numeri-
but many of the media that I work in.
c a l a p p r o a c h t o a n a ly s i s c h a n g e t h a t ?
T h e a n s w e r, n a t u r a l ly , i s n o t s o b l a c k
o g i e s . I r a r e ly t a k e t h e s e i m a g e s a s - i s ,
and white. Straddling these two sides,
often combining the images with other
the products of applied mathematics
similar images, or just using them as a
such as engineering, architecture, and
jump-off point.
so on, offer the most common example
i n v o lv e 3 D m o d e l i n g , w h i c h I c r e a t e
in
Many of the images
mathematical
from scratch and export as 1-dimen-
principles with design, aesthetic, and
sional drawings to be tinkered with in
even
P h o t o s h o p a n d I l l u s t r a t o r.
their
synthesis
philosophical
of
values.
In
this
respect, technology takes on a qualitative property as a form of metaphorical
To r e t u r n t o t h e M a r s y a s e x a m p l e , t h e
m e a s u r e , a g a u g e o f o u r s e lv e s , o u r
c e n t r a l fi g u r e t h e r e w a s t a k e n f r o m a n
p h y s i o l o g i e s , o u r n e e d s a s a s o c i e t y,
écorché
and more.
d i a g r a m o f a n a p p a r e n t l y fl a y e d fi g u r e
fi g u r e ,
i.e.,
an
educational
to expose anatomical details beneath. B e f o r e G e o m e t e r, m y i n t e r e s t i n r e fl e c -
H e r e , I t r a c e d t h e o u t l i n e o f t h e fi g u r e
tive surfaces went beyond metal. They
a n d d e l e t e d t h e d e t a i l s , l e a v i n g o n ly
were a way of inserting the viewer into
the semblance of a human with almost
the work, making it impossible for the
no ideological connotations attached
viewer to engage the work without also
t o i t . T h e fi g u r e w a s t h e n m a p p e d i n t o
encountering
the
the setting via the cartographic devic-
s u r r o u n d i n g e n v i r o n m e n t t h e r e . I fi n d
es framing the periphery of the images.
that this idea remains present in the
T h e e n d r e s u lt i s a r e l a t i v e ly n e u t ra l
work with the use of lustrous metals,
s i g n i fi e r o f “ h u m a n ” a m i d s t a l a n d -
and the idea that these pieces use,
scape
e m b o d y , a n d r e fl e c t t h e t e c h n o l o g i e s
a n d i d e a l i st i m a g e r y.
oneself
and
fl u c t u a t i n g
between
realistic
of their making. S M - Yo u r a r t w o r k s s e e m i m b u e d w i t h a S M - W h e r e d o y o u fi n d o r c r e a t e t h e
s e n s e o f m y st e r y, a n d e v o k e r i t u a l o r
imagery for your compositions?
alchemical
processes.
Some
of
the
compositions in your recent work are SP- The images are, for the most part,
familiar and yet I can’t place their
collages, cut and pasted from archival
origin. Are these sensations important
sources around the web. Many rare
to you? If so, why?
book libraries now host scans of their c o l l e c t i o n s o n - l i n e w h i c h a r e e a s i ly
SP- I’ve been working with alchemical
a n d l e g a l ly d o w n l o a d a b l e . O f t e n , t h e
i m a g e r y a n d c o n c e p t s f o r a w h i l e n o w,
original
them-
so I think that feeling has stayed with
s e lv e s , s i n c e t h e i r u s e w a s w i d e s p r e a d
the work. I don’t mind it. The idea of
for the reproduction of images in texts
“ o c c u lt ” s t e m s d i r e c t ly f r o m t h i s , s i n c e
for centuries.
much of the knowledge was, historical-
images
are
etchings
ly , h i d d e n o r i n t e n t i o n a l l y o b s c u r e d . S o Fo r t h e m o s t p a r t , t h e t e x t s t h e m -
w i t h t h a t c o m e s t h e s e n s e o f m y st e r y.
s e l v e s a r e s c i e n t i fi c , o f t e n w i t h i m a g e s i n t r i c a t e l y r e n d e r e d b y t h e s c i e n t i s t ’s
Sometimes,
own hand. Some of the more interest-
s o lv e d , a n d i n v i t e p e o p l e t o p a r t i c i p a t e
ing texts deal with speculative cosmol
in that. Other times, a mystery exists
mysteries
exist
to
be
Summa Magisterii S t e e l , A n t h r a c i t e C o a l , Tr e e B r a n c h e s , Tw i n e , B u r l a p , G o l d L e a f 168” x 24” x 69” 2014
SHAMUS CLISSET
for its own sake, and perhaps doesn’t
r e fl e c t i o n v i a t h e f a r l e s s p r e c i s e b u t
need or may not have a resolution.
m u c h m o r e h u m a n m o d e l s o f a n a l o g y. I
E i t h e r wa y, t h e r e i s a n e l e m e n t o f m e d -
fi r s t e x p l o r e d t h e s e t h o u g h t s i n m y
i t a t i o n i n v o lv e d f o r t h e p a r t i c i p a n t . I n
Metaphysics
this sense, my use of mystery takes on
hoping to emphasize the link between
an aesthetic dimension. I hope to use it
i n t u i t i o n a n d s c i e n t i fi c d i s c o v e r y g o i n g
as a painter might use a color to evoke
b a c k t o t h e p h i l o s o p h e r s o f a n t i q u i t y.
a particular ambiance in the work.
W i t h o u t t h e a i d o f m o d e r n s c i e n t i fi c
series.
There,
I
was
instruments, these thinkers were able Most of all, I hope the sense is one of
to devise metaphysical systems bear-
p r e s e n c e . Ye s , a s e n s e o f f a m i l i a r i t y i s
ing
essential to this. It acts as a clue, an
modern
entryway into the work. But familiarity
physics.
a
remarkable
resemblance
understandings
of
to
quantum
i s a l s o a ve r y h u m a n f e e l i n g . I ’d l i ke t o think
that
these
pieces
carry
that
feeling of humanity with them.
Although
theoretical,
g e n e ra l ly
unproveable postulates are integral to m a n y fi e l d s o f s c i e n t i fi c i n q u i r y , t h e
SM- Themes of nature, animism, and
common conception of science is that
metaphysics
occupy
your
i t i s c o m p r i s e d o f t a n g i b l e , q u a n t i fi a b l e
creating
your
certainties. It seems the general public
w o r k s o f a r t , d o y o u c l o s e ly s t u d y
is sometimes more hamstrung to what
natural environments and phenomena
science
( l i k e s t a r - g a z i n g o r fi n d o t h e r w a y s t o
scientists
commune with nature)?
pouncing upon statistical data and the
artmaking.
d e e p ly Prior
to
s u p p o s e d ly
represents
t h e m s e lv e s ,
too
than
e a g e r ly
l i k e w h e n e v e r i t s c o n v e n i e n t . To t h e SP- While these explorations under-
c o n t ra r y, I t h i n k t h e f r e e d o m t o a l l o w
score
oneself to think beyond numerical data
the
role
that
activities
like
star-gazing have played in the under-
i s e s s e n t i a l t o p e r s o n a l a g e n c y.
standing of our place in the universe, I’m more focused on how these percep-
S M - A t fi r s t g l a n c e , y o u r w o r k s e e m s t o
tions can shift relative to the means by
d e l i b e ra t e ly
which they are observed. I’m particu-
c o n t e m p o ra r y wa y s i n w h i c h w e k n o w,
l a r ly d ra w n t o t h e wa y s t h a t n a t u ra l
m a p a n d m e a s u r e o u r s e lv e s d i g i t a l ly
p h e n o m e n a c a n a c t u a l ly b e c o m e a s o r t
(ie. Google Maps, etc.). But I look more
of technology itself. Some examples
c l o s e ly ,
include the usage of the heavens for
r e c a l l u n c a n n y, va c a n t l a n d s c a p e s o f
navigation,
certain
the
obser vations
of
the
avoid
certain computer
references
compositions games.
to
could
Does
our
Tr a n s i t o f Ve n u s t o b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d
contemporary digital life inform your
astronomical scale, and methods of
ork?
converting environmental forces into u s a b l e e n e r g y.
S P - I ’ m b o t h t r e m e n d o u s ly i n f o r m e d b y contemporary digital life as well as
Of
course,
this
has
i n v o lv e d
some
ambivalent
about
it.
The
dominant
s t u d y o f r e l a t e d s c i e n t i fi c l i t e r a t u r e ,
paradigm
but I hope to express a faith in the
promotion (indeed, imposition) of the
possibility and potential of more poetic
q u a n t i fi e d s e l f i s s h a p e d b y r e l a t i v e l y
of
internet
life
and
its
The Sadder Path of Pastoral Apollo Et c h e d st a i n l e ss st e e l m o u n t e d o n p o p l a r f ra m e 3 P a n e l s - ( 1 ) 2 8 ” x 1 6 & 1 / 2 ”, ( 2 ) 1 4 ” x 1 4 ”, ( 3 ) 2 0 ” x 2 0 ” 2014-2015
M a r s y a s , S u p p l i c a n t ( A r t i s t ’s P r o o f ) Et c h e d B ra ss M o u n t e d o n Re d O a k 9” x 12” 2014-2015
strict metrics
numerical are
metrics.
often,
if
These
not
imagination to make the connection.
a lwa y s ,
i n t i m a t e ly b o u n d u p w i t h m a r k e t i n g
Music stretched from the Beatles and
and advertising in all their manifesta-
Kraftwerk to Minimalist composition
tions. There is a subtle but per vasive
and punk rock, art gave rise to an
philosophy
this
explosion of conceptual movements,
o u t l o o k w h i c h o n ly l e a d s t o t h e d e e p e r
m a n y o f t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u r y ’s p i v o t a l
entrenchment of exploitative systems.
philosophers were still out there doing
promulgated
by
very
relevant
work
reaching
well
That being said, digital devices and
b e y o n d t h e i v o r y t o w e r, fi l m d e v e l o p e d
software are essential parts of my
the pacing and thematic realism of
every day life from regular things like
m o d e r n c i n e m a , t o n a m e j u st a f e w.
running errands to creative applica-
The list is endless. The 70s seems to
t i o n s i n m y a r t m a k i n g . I h a r d ly g o a d a y
h a v e b e e n M o d e r n i s m ’s l a s t g a s p , w i t h
w i t h o u t u s i n g G o o g l e M a p s . M o r e o v e r,
fi g u r e s l i k e J o d o r o w s k y a s i t s fi n a l
an important theme in my earlier work
t o r c h b e a r e r s . B r i l l i a n t a s t h e fl a m e
was that of quaternions, a type of
may be, that era was witnessing its
f o u r - d i m e n s i o n a l m a t h e m a t i c s l a r g e ly
d y i n g e m b e r s . Fr o m t h e n o n , w e s e e i t s
responsible for most types of 3D com-
ashes scatter into this era of atomistic
puter-generated imaging (although my
pluralism,
use of it was much looser than that).
celebrity worship.
market
obsession,
and
And much of the research and sourcing of images would not be possible with-
I’m still very inspired by Modernist
out
principles. It was still possible to hold
these
things,
or
would
require
much greater hardship.
i d e a l s u n i r o n i c a l ly, t o l i v e y o u r a r t , a n d be
f e a r l e s s ly
inventive,
celebrating
SM- I believe I read in an earlier inter-
your idols even as you attempt to tran-
view or statement that you are drawn
scend them. I try to make work that
to 1970s-era counterculture, psyche-
can be a vital expression of these aspi-
d e l i a , a n d fi l m m a k e r s l i k e A l e j a n d r o
rations. Through its promise of com-
Jodorowsky
of
munication, art is a hopeful beacon of
mine as well). Does the cultural activi-
the human spirit, even in its darkest
ty of this time period still fascinate
m o m e n t s . I h o p e t o s h o w, i n m y w o r k ,
you?
that the image still holds this power to
(a
personal
favorite
inspire, transform, and empower us. SB- My research into the music, movements, art and imagery of that era were formative in many ways for me, and, for the most part, the things that interest me stay with me. That probab ly a p p l i e s t o t h e l a t e 6 0 s a n d 7 0 s m o r e s o t h a n m o s t o t h e r i n fl u e n c e s . I n that era, the seeds of everything in the contemporar y cultural landscape were sown in ways still recognizable and not so remote as to require leaps of the
Morning Star E t c h e d B r a s s , A r t i s t Fr a m e 18”x30” 2015
Evening Star E t c h e d B r a s s , A r t i s t Fr a m e 18”x30” 2015
The Invention of Archæometric Reckoning by Archimedes Brass, Cast Carbon, Resin, Acrylic, Light 28”x6”x9” 2015
Geometer Mixed Media Installation D i m e n s i o n s Va r i a b l e 2015
Khipu (Archæometric Reckoner 1) Cast Brass, Rope, Ink 14”x14”x81” 2015
Reciprocal Armillary (Archæometric Reckoner 2) Acrylic, Mdf, Rope, Latex, Cast Iron Wire Rope Clips 115”x14”x14” 2015