Charles Matson Lume Contemporary Artist Review – part 2
Located 15 feet directly above the main gallery, Lume exhibits a second piece titled Concentration. He takes hundreds of small magnifying glasses and hot glues them to the wall. He arranges the lenses slightly right of the space in one large oval cluster divided by an empty area in the center. The contrast from intense pattern into the absent space keeps my eyes circling around the intense light being refracted downward. Each lens casts a dual showdown caused by two spotlights spaced about four feet apart situated approximately 6 feet above the piece. The play on light and shadow is captivating I cannot help but to stare at the exhibit in almost a trance-like state. Although his first installation is larger with a variation of materials I am partial to this one more. I think that it relates to the repetition and dispersion of the lenses. There are a number of delicate decisions that at first observation are not so obvious: the choice of form, lighting, placement along the picture plane, material, spaces between lenses and the optical power behind this piece.
I feel that both of his works are directly related light, regeneration and transformation. The focus of both of his works seems to have a suggestive play on light and refraction. I do not feel de-centered but engulfed by his pieces. Lume subtlety draws the viewer in by sensitive play on how the light illuminates a space and the shadows fall.
By taking everyday objects and turning them in to work of beauty that compels the viewer to examine other everyday object that we normally would not think of as artistic materials. Using oranges in his work makes me think of growth and regeneration. The space and subject encompassed in his exhibit makes his intension successful. I feel that he conveys a sense of beauty using obscure objects that are reexamined and reintegrated into his artistic process.