“Spectrum Dynamic” Art Exhibit Coming to Rhode Island from Indiana University in October
Works by Artist Caleb Weintraub present visual interpretations of the repetitive body movements common among individuals with Autism
Providence, RI (September 27, 2021) — The Rhode Island Museum of Science & Art (RIMOSA) will host an exciting art exhibit, “Spectrum Dynamic” at its museum space (763 Westminster St) October 14 – December 31, 2021.
The striking artworks, created in collaboration with individuals on the Autism Spectrum, present visual interpretations of the repetitive body movements common among individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, aiming to give form to the obscure, fill in gaps, and make the invisible visible. The “Spectrum Dynamic” exhibit is making its only New England stop this year at RIMOSA on its way across the U.S.
According to the artist, Caleb Weintraub, Associate Professor, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design, Indiana University at Bloomington, “Only very recently has technology enabled us to visualize things that we don’t really see, but have some actual connection to the behavior in our physical world. When we connect to these invisible and wholly internal experiences, it’s almost as though we are getting a glimpse of secrets to an interiority. If the goal for creating art is on some level to expand our understanding of our world, our endeavors and a variety of experiences, then art can be a tool and not an end in and of itself.”
RIMOSA is pleased to invite the public to a free virtual opening night celebration featuring talks with the artist and Janella Watson, an expert in Autism-and-play and STEM consultant.
Registration for the virtual opening night event is now open to the public via www.rimosa.org.
The “Spectrum Dynamic” exhibit will be displayed in the gallery at RIMOSA, 763 Westminster St., Providence, RI during regular museum hours (Thurs/Fri 1-5pm, Sat/Sun 12-5pm), included in the regular admission fee ($5.00).
For more information or to schedule a special group visit, contact RIMOSA at info@RIMOSA.org
About “Spectrum Dynamic”
The artworks featured in “Spectrum Dynamic” grew out of a collaboration by researchers in the arts and sciences at Indiana University including Weintraub and Dr. Dan Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Science, and students at CIP Bloomington, Indiana, an agency that assists young people on the Autism Spectrum.
It presents visual interpretations of the movements called motor stereotypies (or ‘stimming’) such as rocking, head nodding, arm and hand flapping, finger tapping or pacing, common among individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, that provide an outlet, a means of coping, and release. To create the works, Weintraub used motion capture software and 3D modeling programs to distill the movements of people who engage in stimming into essential kinematic signatures. Through this process, motion is registered as trails and particles virtually rendered into visible moving frameworks. The body of work highlights the inherent rhythms and patterns of these stereotypies to present an alternate perspective on these behaviors. These images were then altered according to conversations with the subjects, and presented as dye-sublimation prints.
Aesthetic choices related to light, color, and material are informed by testimony given by participants who describe the function and feeling of stimming. One individual, by example, likened her experience of turning in circles to the act of creating a barrier as if spinning a cocoon between herself and the world.
The artworks originating from the project were first exhibited as part of (Re)imagining Science at the Grunwald Gallery of Art at Indiana University. By returning to previously unused files from the original sessions with participants during the first iteration of this project along with subsequent motion capture files and testimonies, Weintraub has continued to expand this body of work after the completion of the initial project.
About RIMOSA
RIMOSA’s mission is to kindle curiosity and encourage experimentation. We aim to build and sustain a culture of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking that transforms Rhode Island into a leader in innovation for generations to come.
We do that through hands-on, STEAM-based exhibits and experiences that enable open-ended experimentation in our 4,500 sq. ft. museum exhibit space, portable outreach programs and workshops in collaboration with other community groups that develop curiosity, motivation, grit and creative problem solving.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through the Rhode Island Culture, Humanities, and Arts Recovery Grant (RI CHARG) program.
This program was made possible thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts via funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.