New York Film Academy Photography instructor Joan Pamboukes is showcasing a new art installation at The Paul Robeson Galleries at Rutgers University. There will be a reception on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 5pm-7pm.
Her installation, which was funded in part by NYFA, “Interfered interior of the Ballantine House parlor, Newark, New Jersey” is a site-specific installation inspired by Newark Museum’s historic Ballantine House and dedicated to the memory of Ben McClellan.
“I had the assistance of our wonderful Teacher’s Assistant, Sean Brown, who is an expert in both the printing process and installation of photos presented on this particular ‘peel and stick’ material,” said Pamboukes. “Both Sean and another wonderful NYFA TA, Ana Paula Tizzi, volunteered to assist with the install. Ana also documented the entire process.”
Pamboukes utilized readily available technology – an iPhone camera and a panorama app – through which she investigates the effects of media and interactivity in our society, and the way we experience the world through the interference of constantly evolving technologies and ubiquity of images online.
Through the device’s basic technological capabilities and photographic functions, Pamboukes’ depiction of the parlor section of the house is distorted and fragmented, causing the uneven surface and pixilated texture to interfere with the present reality. The circular movement of the camera and the app’s digital ability to read certain areas and objects, or pass over them, personifies the space, making this domestic scene imaginary and fantastic.
The room’s distinctive character, the scale of the work in relation to our body, as well as the distorted representation of space, conjure a psychedelic feel, as though trapped in an Alice in Wonderland moment. Experiencing this room through a photograph, rather than the site itself, redefines a moment in time, and by fusing together two disparate worlds, Pamboukes further detaches the place from its past.
Observing this historical and bourgeois environment in the context of Newark’s current climate, raises questions about the role of the city today, its changing landscape, diverse architecture, and its relation to the past. Looking at this interior through a contemporary lens (literally), the space becomes almost unimaginable and even fictional in today’s world, echoing in a sense how we witness, stage and present false realities.
For more information on the gallery, please CLICK HERE.