The... of Vic Champignole
April 24, 2010 | The Tear-Imbued Handkerchief of Vic Champignole
Click here to learn more about the fine art books published in conjunction with this exhibit.
Artist website: Bob Butler | www.bobbutlerphotographer.com
April 24, 7-10pm Artist Reception @ Twin Kittens
Twin Kittens presents The Tear-Imbued Handkerchief of Vic Champignole, a collaborative effort between visual artist Bob Butler and author Kris Allison. These two artists have held a longstanding friendship which led them to this project. The exhibition will be on view beginning Saturday, April 17th through July 13th. An artist reception will be held Saturday, April 24th from 7-10pm and an artist’s talk and Q&A on Sunday, April 25th at 2pm.
The Tear-Imbued Handkerchief of Vic Champignole was written in 2004 by Kris Allison. The story follows a narrator’s relationship with Vic Champignole's fall from fame, a renowned landscape designer careening into madness. The narrator witnesses his own father, an inventor, struggling to cope with what life has dealt him and what his personal ambitions have been. In many ways, his father and Vic share this common conflict while they investigate it in contrasting ways. We see Vic delve into the chaos that nature seems to possess while the narrator and you, the reader, look in- much like a Greek chorus in ancient tragedies.
When asked what compelled the artist about the story, Bob shared,
"There is a contrast between the father and Vic in their reaction to this chaos overall but as you tune in closer to these characters, you see that they are the same in many ways. They are almost like opposites within the same genre. The objective of the photographs is not to answer or resolve the story, but is to give the reader/viewer various threads to consider and contemplate the themes further in their own ways. Much of the mystery and questions of the story are left untouched with the images, the images are there to provide a visual medium that encourages further thought."
In the gallery, 9 photographs explore ‘behind the scenes or between the lines’ conceptual moments from the story and serve to further flesh out the narrative, rather than disclose the stories deeper ideas or simply illustrate key moments. The large photographs present Vic Champignole’s strange obsession and study with chaos, foliage, dirt and vegetation. Among the 9 images are stations for reading and following along in the text to see how the two correlate. A 40 page fine art book is being published in conjunction with this exhibition.
Be sure to catch a peak before the reception and artist talk on the weekend of the 24th. You can arrange a viewing by contacting Jeff Guy, gallery director at Twin Kittens, or simply pop in during the third Saturday Westside Art Walk on April 17th from 12-5pm.
To view all the images go to Bob Butler's personal website here: www.bobbutlerphotographer.com
*Top photo credit:
Bob Butler, “The Height of Renown,” 2010.
Click here to learn more about the fine art books published in conjunction with this exhibit.
Artist website: Bob Butler | www.bobbutlerphotographer.com
April 24, 7-10pm Artist Reception @ Twin Kittens
Twin Kittens presents The Tear-Imbued Handkerchief of Vic Champignole, a collaborative effort between visual artist Bob Butler and author Kris Allison. These two artists have held a longstanding friendship which led them to this project. The exhibition will be on view beginning Saturday, April 17th through July 13th. An artist reception will be held Saturday, April 24th from 7-10pm and an artist’s talk and Q&A on Sunday, April 25th at 2pm.
The Tear-Imbued Handkerchief of Vic Champignole was written in 2004 by Kris Allison. The story follows a narrator’s relationship with Vic Champignole's fall from fame, a renowned landscape designer careening into madness. The narrator witnesses his own father, an inventor, struggling to cope with what life has dealt him and what his personal ambitions have been. In many ways, his father and Vic share this common conflict while they investigate it in contrasting ways. We see Vic delve into the chaos that nature seems to possess while the narrator and you, the reader, look in- much like a Greek chorus in ancient tragedies.
When asked what compelled the artist about the story, Bob shared,
"There is a contrast between the father and Vic in their reaction to this chaos overall but as you tune in closer to these characters, you see that they are the same in many ways. They are almost like opposites within the same genre. The objective of the photographs is not to answer or resolve the story, but is to give the reader/viewer various threads to consider and contemplate the themes further in their own ways. Much of the mystery and questions of the story are left untouched with the images, the images are there to provide a visual medium that encourages further thought."
In the gallery, 9 photographs explore ‘behind the scenes or between the lines’ conceptual moments from the story and serve to further flesh out the narrative, rather than disclose the stories deeper ideas or simply illustrate key moments. The large photographs present Vic Champignole’s strange obsession and study with chaos, foliage, dirt and vegetation. Among the 9 images are stations for reading and following along in the text to see how the two correlate. A 40 page fine art book is being published in conjunction with this exhibition.
Be sure to catch a peak before the reception and artist talk on the weekend of the 24th. You can arrange a viewing by contacting Jeff Guy, gallery director at Twin Kittens, or simply pop in during the third Saturday Westside Art Walk on April 17th from 12-5pm.
To view all the images go to Bob Butler's personal website here: www.bobbutlerphotographer.com
*Top photo credit:
Bob Butler, “The Height of Renown,” 2010.