Visual Passion Install BEGUN

Yesterday and today Gerard and I began the installation of Visual Passion: On Love. We are happy to report that the project is well underway and things are looking good. Many things were loaded...two trips made up and back from our Riker Hill Studio and lots of painting was done. Janis Blumgart, a wonderful and professional painter as well as an artist and friend, is one of our devoted helpers who did a lot of important work on the walls at Gallery 1978. The "Writing on the Wall" wall is up and has the first coat on it thanks to Janis. My son, Dylan helped us load in some important things and Matt Starr is working on his digital mapping installation even as I write this. The passion is there and you can cut it with a knife. Jim Buchanan stopped by to say hello and give us encouragement. Thanks Jim...We will be there next weekend too and will take time out to make a visit to Maplewoodstock. It's all good and it's all for art.

Visual Passion Posted on 1978 Maplewood Arts Center Site

http://www.1978artscenter.org/exhibitions/visualpassion

 Go to the above link and check out the page for our upcoming exhibition and become a member of 1978 Maplewood Arts Center. 

The Visual Passion Experience Schedule

Thursday July 26, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm: The Visual Passion Experience BEGINS, opening with a welcome toast and reception by the artists before the experience gets under way. You will be greeted by Gerard and Mikel dressed for the occasion, a favorite love song will be playing and there will be a few choice love poems read for visitors to ponder as they begin their journey. This will be very cool so don't be late! You don't want to miss anything. 

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Friday July 27, 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm: The Visual Passion Experience continues. Witness Mikel and Gerard painting live on large canvases and doors. Visit the Creation Station and make your own 12"x12" painting on love. Contribute to The Writing on the Wall community blackboard wall with your love poems, quotes or comments. Record your answers to questions about love on video in the Video Room. Watch previously recorded interviews of people you might know who answered questions about love. Check out the window installations of the light side and dark side of love. And just imerse yourself in the Visual Passion Experience.

  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm--Live music performance by The Visual Passion Trio and live poetry readings, which will be read in their original languages and then translated to English,  paintings on love will be displayed to accompany these selected love poems.

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Saturday July 28, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm: The Visual Passion Experience continues.

  6:30 pm--Gerard Amsellem will interview Richard Einhorn, composer of Voices of Light, the modern soundtrack he composed for Carl Dryer's 1928 silent film, The Passion of Joan of Arc.

  7:00 pm--Screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc with Voices of Light soundtrack.

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Sunday July 29, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

The Visual Passion Experience continues.

  4:00 pm-5:30 pm  Sew Each Other/See Each Other -- a performance event by Gerard Amsellem and Mikel Frank with volunteers, which will depict the metaphor of sewing relationships together and tearing them apart. Once the fabric sewing has finished the aritsts will paint on them, while still on the volunteers bodies. Once the paintings are finished the volunteers will tear open the sewing and Gerard and Mikel will move them to the wall and continue painting on them.

  6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Closing party

  8:30 pm: A special finale, a digital projection installation piece,

                   I do love you and that is why I hate you   by Matt Starr.

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This Just In!!!!! Composer Richard Einhorn and Voices of Light

Composer and good friend, Richard Einhorn just signed on to be part of The Visual Passion Experience. On Saturday July 28 at 7:00 pm we will be screening the 1928 Carl Dryer film, The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Mr. Einhorn wrote the contemporary soundtrack to this silent black and white masterpiece. The soundtrack music, known as Voices of Light, is an amazing example of how music can help define emotional drama in a silent film. It is a tour de fource musical masterpiece in it's own right and you won't want to miss this.

Before we screen the film, Mr. Einhorn will discuss how the film inspired Voices of Light and what was involved in the process. He will also talk about how live orchestras have accompanied the film in various venues throughout the world.

Visual Passion Progress

These past few weeks have been busy ones for us. On May 19, thanks to Rick and Micha at the GAS Gallery and Studio, Mikel and Gerard created another large scale painting on 5, 24" x 80" doors (see video on our Video Page). It was a very creative day. These doors will be hinged to make them self standing screen like walls that will be used for the "tunnel of love" entry way into the Visual Passion: On Love Experience at 1978 Maplewood Arts Center. This past weekend (June 2/3) we participated in two wonderful open studio tours. On Saturday we were at our Riker Hill Art Park studio and met many knew and wonderul artists and art lovers. Our door painting mentioned above was on display and we talked up the Visual Passion Experience to folks who seemed thrilled to hear about it and told us they looked forward to being part of it in July. On Sunday we had to split up and Gerard stayed at Riker while Mikel set up his studio at 1978 Maplewood Arts Center to talk to people on the South Orange/Maplewood Artist Studio Tour about the upcoming Visual Passion Experience happening right there at Gallery 1978. It was a great day and many people were exicited to hear about the project. Mikel met many wonderful individuals and families and reconnected with some old friends. Soon we will be painting the other 5 doors that will represent the dark side of love and create the other wall of the "Tunnel of Love." The buzz for this event continues with a new feature describing Visual Passion: On Love in the recent issue of Matters Magazine (Page 40)

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