Wenyon & Gamble Exhibitions

Wenyon & Gamble Mapping the Great Hall

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The Great Hall, Wenyon & Gamble, 2002 digital print, 7" (H) x 40" (W) "Mapping the Great Hall", photographs by Wenyon & Gamble at the New York Hall of Science, January 25th to February 23rd, 2003 Artists Susan Gamble and Michael Wenyon use astronomical mapping techniques to photograph scientific buildings here on earth. Their latest images document the dramatic interior of the Great Hall of the New York Hall of Science, a seven-story-high structure of curving blue-glass walls built for the 1964 Worlds' Fair in Flushing Meadows. These 'digital panoramas' and 'photographic mosaics' are part of an exhibition at the Hall which also includes photographs of telescope domes the pair recorded at various sites around the world. The "Panoramic Photograph of The Great Hall of the New York Hall of Science" (2002) explores the Great Hall as an homage to the night sky. Darkly hued glass and crystal stars form the rippled walls of the building, creating an illusion of the cosmos. While the exterior design of the Hall itself is an architectural feat, the "Panoramic Photograph" emphasizes the wall's function as a representation of the infinite and its scientific possibilities. Describing the building in 1964, architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable said: "Here one thinks immediately of the 13th century rather than the 20th: of Sainte-Chapelle; of the drama of soaring heights stained with colored light. For this is a Cathedral of Science, rather than a Hall of Science, its luminous blue walls suggesting limitless extensions of space. At a time when science vies with religion in explaining the mysteries of the universe, this is an oddly significant architectural twist." Previous panoramic photos by the team of Wenyon & Gamble explore the aesthetic aspects of research facilities, specifically astronomical observatories. Their images of telescope domes evoke celestial qualities in buildings whose designers typically deny artistic intent. In contrast, the Great Hall of the New York Hall of Science provides a structure whose purpose is to artistically evoke the universe. Built for the 1964 World's Fair, whose motto was "Peace Through Understanding", the Hall presents its rendition of the sky as a symbol of the optimism and faith in science that dominated the Fair. Wenyon & Gamble use their special camera to present a 360-degree angle view of this monument to the stars. Art historian Debra Bricker Balken has said of Wenyon & Gamble's work: "...they have come up with a more analytic, conceptual take on the imagery of science, one which reveals both its elegance and connections with art[...] These images are replete with the grandeur of science but they are also, ironically, transformative, recasting clinical spaces and machines into imaginary, and sometimes ethereal, environments." [Debra Bricker Balken, in "Observing the Observers...", catalog to an exhibition at MIT Museum, 2000] Susan Gamble and Michael Wenyon have collaborated as artists since 1983. Their work uses holography and digital imaging to capture articles of historic and modern science. They have been artists in residence at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Haystack Radio Observatory of MIT. Their previous exhibitions include "Observing the Observers..." Compton Gallery, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA (2000); "Bibliomancy", The Boston Athenaeum, Boston, MA (1998); "Bibliography", Art Tower Mito, Mito, Japan (1992), as well as shows at the Whitney Museum, New York, The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, The Tate Gallery, Liverpool, England and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. New work for this exhibition is made possible in part by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Tues-Wed 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, Thurs-Fri 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, Sat-Sun Noon 5 pm Reception: February 23rd, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm (free admission with invitation) New York Hall of Science museum admission $7.50 adults ($5.00 children & seniors 65+) 47-01, 111th Street, Queens, NY 11368 (between 47th and 49th Avenue) Number 7 subway to 111th Street, telephone 718-699-0005, http://www.nyscience.org transport + driving directions JPEG file Illustrations are available for publicizing the exhibition by email from Wenyon & Gamble: wengam@myprivacy.ca Great Hall Image 1 JPEG (2.7" x 14.4" @ 300 dpi) ©2002 Wenyon & Gamble: Great Hall Image 2 JPEG (2.5" x 18.5" @ 300 dpi) ©2002 Wenyon & Gamble: DIRECTIONS to the New York Hall of Science 47-01 111th Street Queens, NY 11368 718.699.0005 Located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park MAP click here BY SUBWAY Number 7 to 111th St station. Walk 3 blocks south. There are signs to the "New York Hall of Science" at the station, and you can see the Great Hall itself (a brown serpentine building) from the upper level of the station when you get off the train. The walk from the station is down a slight hill (south), under a railroad bridge, then the Hall of Science is on your left. BY CAR >From Long Island Long Island Expressway westbound. Exit at 108th Street. Right on 108th Street. Right on 52nd Avenue to 111th Street. Left on 111th Street. Right at 49th Avenue into the New York Hall of Science entrance drive. >From Manhattan/Midtown Tunnel Long Island Expressway eastbound, staying in the right-hand lanes. Exit at 108th Street. Left on 108th Street. Right on 52nd Avenue to 111th Street. Left on 111th Street. Right at 49th Avenue into the New York Hall of Science entrance drive. >From Bronx/Westchester Cross the Whitestone Bridge, bearing right at the end onto the Whitestone Expressway. Exit onto Grand Central Parkway eastbound. Take exit 10, bearing right to follow the Midtown Tunnel signage. Right on Corona Avenue. Right on 111th Street. Right at 49th Avenue into the New York Hall of Science entrance drive. >From Brooklyn Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to Long Island Expressway (LIE) eastbound. Stay in the right-hand lanes and exit at 108th Street. Left on 108th Street. Right on 52nd Avenue to 111th Street. Left on 111th Street. Right on 49th Avenue into the New York Hall of Science entrance drive. >From Triborough Bridge Grand Central Parkway eastbound to Exit 10, bearing right to follow the Midtown Tunnel signage. Right on Corona Avenue. Right on 111th Street. Right at 49th Avenue into the New York Hall of Science entrance drive. BY BUS Q23 or Q53 to Corona Ave. and 108 St. PARKING Parking is available in the Hall's private lot; contact us to get a pass. STROLLERS/COATS Strollers are permitted. For your convenience, coats and strollers may be checked and baby carriers are available. A limited number of wheelchairs are available.

Susan Gamble Michael Wenyon © 2006 Wenyon & Gamble and authors email: mail(AT)wengam.com Modified: 2 January 2006

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