Wet og Wild!

Welcome to an Open House at S12, where Benjamin Wright and Amanda Lee Patenaude will exhibit the result of their intensive 6 weeks work as Artists in Residence at S12.

During their residency they have applied a wide range of unorthodox glass and mixed media studio practices to the inspirational structures, behaviors and beauty of the aquatic environments surrounding Bergen.

Few artists working at S12 have used S12s equipment to the degree they have done. They have put the whole area to use as a place for artistic ideas and production, since they arrived – everything from the “Monster Kiln” to a grandmother’s pot and a misplaced plastic bag has been put to use!

Ben Wright holds a BS in Evolutionary Biology from Dartmouth College a BFA from the Appalachian Center for Crafts and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and he is currently on leave from his faculty position at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His background in Biology figures strongly in his artwork, which delves deeply into the every evolving relationship between humans and their micro and macro environments. Through visual installations and sonic landscapes he engages all of his viewer’s senses and often bridges the gap between art and science.

Amanda Lee Patenaude received her BFA in glass and ceramics from Illinois State University. Her fascination with the human condition and quest for synergy is expressed through mixed-media sculpture, performances and happenings that orbit around concepts of waste and value and transform viewers into participants through the long lost art of fun.

We look forward to see the result and to smile together with them, while we enjoy their creative and often surprising use of material: everything from balloons, plastic bags, videos and of course glass.

AiR in S12 is supported by the Norwegian Art Council, the city of Bergen and the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts.

Special thanks to:

BEK, Bergen Center for Electronic Arts

Trykkeriet, Center for contemporary printmaking

Institute of Marine Research, Bergen.

The natural history collections, the University Museum of Bergen

Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology