Light and Nature: An ArtsFusion Lecture by James Carpenter

The work of James Carpenter has been called “environmental” in part because it creates a visual and sensory experience that is enveloping and omnipresent, but also because it draws its inspiration and its intention from the mechanics, manifestations, and visual richness of the natural world; in particular the natural world revealed, defined, and expressed by light. Carpenter’s lecture will note and discuss that while the work engages the sometimes simple manipulation of light transmission, reflection, and refraction, the work’s objective is not the demonstration of light’s obeisance to the laws of optical science. He will demonstrate how, instead, it creates an experience that allows the viewer to become aware of some deeper, more mysterious, and more universal message contained within the light itself, one that expresses and asks us to explore the very substance of our relationship to and connection with nature.

 

James Carpenter studied architecture and sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. He actively exhibited light-based art works while working from 1972 through 1982 as a consultant at Corning Glass Works, where he developed new glass materials for potential architectural applications. Since establishing James Carpenter Design Associates in 1978, he has been integrating a synthesis of light into building structures. His studio is a collaborative environment, encouraging an exchange of ideas between architects, material and structural engineers, environmental engineers, and fabricators. Carpenter is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, the American Institute of Architects Honor Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. 

 

Co-presented by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology and the College of Architecture and Urban Studies