Stanford Art Spaces Celebrates 25 Years of Unifying Art, Science and Technology

Hidden amongst the many labs, offices and seating areas of Stanford's Serra Mall, Stanford Art Spaces has been quietly bringing art to the world of science and technology, housed in a colossal masterpiece of glass, steel, bricks, skylights and windows.

"It's an interesting contrast," curator Marilyn A. Grossman said. "Seeing people in bunny suits walking around these 50 or so art pieces."

Stanford Art Spaces is anchored in the Paul G. Allen Center for Integrated Systems, with two smaller galleries in nearby Jordan Hall and Packard, and since 1985 has become one of the largest exhibits in the Bay Area.

It is a fitting location for such a hybrid presentation—the building hosts large conferences, with plenty of corporate and private foot traffic, as well as labs and educational offices. The building itself is a colossal masterpiece of glass, steel, bricks, skylights and windows, the perfect blend of creativity and efficiency.

"The breadth of CIS thus reflects the nature of the nanoscale science and engineering era, which is characterized by 'interdisciplinary' approaches and 'cross fertilization' from field to field," according to the Center of Integrated Systems' website.

This edition of Stanford Art Spaces features four superb local artists: husband and wife, Pat Sherwood and Neal Boor, San Francisco native Gianna Marino and the exhibit's largest contributor, Ken Holden.

"A lot of artists find me," Grossman said. "I find some online, too. And I go to street fairs in more affluent places [like Palo Alto and Los Altos]," later adding that "[There are] artists from a lot of different countries, with different styles and media."

Grossman could not be more correct. The artists' styles range from French impressionism to textured, Picasso-esque cubism. Pat Sherwood and Neal Boor present a unique array of abstract, textured explosions of color that capture only the rawest elements of their subjects.

Gianna Marino, who said she was approached by Grossman at a South Bay art exhibit earlier this year, utilized largely earthy tones, and the focus of her work is undeniably natural.

"These paintings were inspired by endangered animals and geography," Marino said. "Colors used are from nature, from the natural world."

Marino is also an accomplished children's book author and illustrator. Her most recent book, Zoopa: An Animal Aphabet, was nominated for the Northern California Book Award in Children's Literature. She has three books coming out in the spring of 2012.

Ken Holden, who has by far the most pieces in the exhibit, created the entirety of his work on display from pictures taken at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. He explains that Grossman approached him at a joint exhibit at the Art Museum of Los Gatos.

His work is arguably the most loyal to the spirit of Stanford Art Spaces. The dozens and dozens of pieces are the products of a nearly three year project that Holden embarked on in late 2008 at the museum which eventually totaled approximately 75,000 handheld pictures and hundreds of hours of weekly Saturday afternoons.

Holden, who currently resides in Sunnyvale but grew up in Saratoga, claims that he found the inspiration for the project after visiting the de Young museum soon after it reopened in 2005 after retrofitting, but waited for three years to complete other side projects.

Many of his pictures, which he categorizes as most similar to French impressionism, are taken from vertical and diagonal angles. This creates refractions
of light and very ornate visual effects, especially when reflected off of and through the many reflective surfaces in the museum, such as copper panels, window panes and plastic tarps. Holden says that he uses long lenses close to the minimum focal length to achieve a painterly effect.

"It really captures a very disruptive type of imagery that some of us are very often unaware of," Holden said. "They are images from the periphery of vision, that don't necessarily register for most."

One unique aspect of Holden's work is his use of computer technology to "replicate" everyday images, creating fascinating geometric explosions through a process he calls "photo anagrams." He says he has honed his skills over time, and by using a high-end work station, the process ranges from a few hours to a full day of work.

"Every image is distinctive," Holden said. "Every image is fleeting. It's in the moment. It's an image that lasts for 30 minutes out of a few months of the year."

Holden has a rich background in Silicon Valley entrepreneurialism: he worked as an engineer for a decade before spending 20 years in global business and startups. He currently is fundraising for a startup specializing in optical technology, and prototyping and patenting an Apple iPhone application for his "photo anagram" technology used in many of his pictures.

It is perhaps the description of Ken Holden's work from his Stanford Art Spaces online profile that best sums up the entire exhibit: "This imagery is intended to form a bridge between rigid traditional artistic interpretation and evolving technology that questions how art is perceived." Stanford Art Spaces is that
bridge.

Stanford Art Spaces re-opens every two months. The next scheduled exhibit, the event's 75th edition, will feature Alice Beasley, Steve Norton and John Sundstrom and is set to open November 5th.

List of Pieces (by artist and building)

Ken Holden:
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"Elderly Woman Steeped in Thought" (Jordan)
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"Father and Infant Sitting Beneath the Rain." (Jordan)
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"Oxidized Cu Panels 1" (Packard)
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"Women Standing in Black Dress" (Packard)
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"Mannequin Models II" (Packard)
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"Phantom Spirit" (Allen)
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"Visitor Silhouettes Walking Behind Perforated Cu Panels" (Allen)
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"Man Walking Behind Cu Panel Wall" (Allen)
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"Mannequin Gathering" (Allen)
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"Mysterious Visitors" (Allen)
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"Cu Panel Illusion" (Allen)
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"Queuing Line" (Allen)
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"Droplet Pattern" (Allen)
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"Man's Silhouette on Cu Panels" (Allen)
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"Blond Woman Walking Behind Fractured Window Pane" (Allen)
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"Contemplating Warhol" (Allen)

Gianna Marino
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"Company" (Jordan)
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"Running" (Jordan)
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"Terra" (Packard)
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"Expense" (Allen)
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"Stripes in Movement" (Allen)
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"Songs of Winter" (Allen)
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"Journey" (Allen)
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"A Place To See Forever" (Allen)
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"Greatness" (Allen)
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"Dancing in the Box" (Allen)
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"Thundering Hooves" (Allen)
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"Over the Cradle of Africa" (Allen)
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"Unbound" (Allen)

Neal Boor:
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"The Glass Shoe" (Jordan)
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"Up at the Villa" (Packard)
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"First Snow" (Packard)
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"Luna" (Allen)
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"Wild Streak" (Allen)
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"Power Trip" (Allen)
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"New Kid on the Block" (Allen)

Pat Sherwood
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"Oasis" (Packard)
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"Taos First Snow" (Allen)
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"Up at the Lake" (Allen)
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"The GG Bridge II-Regatta" (Allen)
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"Green, Green Grass" (Allen)
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"The Second Silver Lining" (Allen)