Something About The Sky
An Exhibition by Penn State Laureate Lori Hepner
March 28—April 27, 2024
Sheetz and McLanahan Galleries
Artist Bio
Lori Hepner’s Drawing with Light was featured in the 2018 WQED documentary, Visible, in which she talks about light painting, her wearable LEDs, and Color Beechview, one of her community art projects. These public projects often include movement drawings, silhouette portraits, and the invisible ways we can connect with each other, our communities, and the world around us.
Hepner’s personal studio project, Excursionary Auras of Change, is on-going and explores, through photography, landscapes affected by climate change with a lens into the concept of future memory: thinking in advance how personally important landscapes, and our memories of them, will transform as we imagine their future states due to climate change. This work includes both traditional landscape photographs and abstracted landscapes created through studio performances remembering and restepping the paths across places while redrawing the photos of these places with her LED light painting devices. The project started in the Arctic in 2014 with artist residencies across Finland, Iceland, Northern Canada, and Norway and has expanded as it has become obvious that climate change is affecting all of our landscapes in the Anthropocene world.
Hepner was also an artist-in-residence with Schmidt Ocean Institute on Research Vessel Falkor as the ship mapped the seafloor in the Cascadia Margin Region of the Pacific Ocean looking for methane seeps. She created a performance piece for the rear deck of the ship using data from the seafloor mapping.
Artist Statement
There is always, “Something About the Sky,” that allows people to vocalize their wishes and to make dreams for their futures while gazing at light that has traveled from as far away as distant galaxies or as close as a neighboring Pittsburgh hilltop’s streetlight. My project is inspired by and uses the same title of a 1956 Rachel Carson television audio/visual essay, “Something About the Sky,” that spoke about cloud formations over film footage showing the beauty of clouds. I will be asking people to submit their own views of their skies that I can use in my performative light painting process.
“Something About the Sky” is a new series of cloud drawings and skyscape light paintings featuring movement drawings created through my performances in the studio using my wearable LEDs. These play back my own sky photographs as I move while daydreaming about what is, what has been, and what could become our futures.
Checklist
- Cloud Dance#3786: Pittsburgh, PA (Left)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Tiptoe #2802: Svalbard, Norway (Left)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Tiptoe #2801: Svalbard, Norway (Right)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Star Dance #3848; Pittsburgh, PA
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Energetic Paddle to Calmness #9664: FortSelkirk, Canada (Left)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Paddle #1118: Fort Selkirk, Canada (Middle)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Walk #9385: Kilpisjärvi, Finland (Right)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Lazy Paddle #1454: Yukon River, Canada (Left)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Night Walking #0558: #Svalbard, Norway (Left)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital Pigment Print - Night Walking #0549: #Svalbard, Norway (Right)
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Skipping Skies #3901: San Diego, CA
16” x 20 (framed)
Digital pigment print - Cloud Dance #3787: Pittsburgh, PA (Right)
40” x 50”
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print - Cloud Dance #6308; Pittsburgh, PA (Left)
40” x 50"
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print - Cloud Dance #3905; San Diego, CA (Left)
40” x 50”
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print - Untitled
40” x 50”
Stretched Canvas Digitam Pigment Print - #6364
40” x 50”
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print - Calm Wanderings #7960: Wailuku, Hawaii
24” x 36”
Digital C print face mounted to acrylic & framed - Calm Wanderings #7961: Wailuku, Hawaii
24” x 36”
Digital C print face mounted to acrylic & framed - standing sontemplation: Sunset #4060; Traena, Norway
28” x 40”
Stretched canvas digital pigment print - Cloud Dance #4805; Pittsburgh, PA
40” x 40”
Stretched canvas Digital pigment print - Cloud Dance #6307: Pittsburgh, PA
40” x 40”
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print - Cloud Dance #6337: Pittsburgh, PA
24” x 24”
Stretched Canvas Digital pigment print - Cloud Dance #6253: Pittsburgh, PA
36” x 36”
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print - Star Dance #3952; Tuscon, AZ
20” x 36”
Stretched canvas - Digitam Pigment Print
Cotton Candy Cloud Dance#3899; San Diego, CA
24” x 60”
Stretched canvas Digital pigment print - Twilight Dance #3763; Pittsburgh, PA
36” x 24”
Stretched Canvas digital pigment print - Dance #3040
36” x 24”
Stretched Canvas Digitam pigment print
Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Penn State Altoona
3000 Ivyside Park
Altoona, PA 16601
814-949-5451
[email protected]
Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the box office at the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts by calling 814-949-5452 in advance of your participation or visit.