Press Release: A Matter of Meaning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Maggie Santolla McLeod, Press Relations
maggie.santolla@gmail.com

Lele McLeod, Gallery
lelemcleod@gmail.com
206-441-3314

A Matter of Meaning
Local Artists Explore Memory, Matter and Materials at McLeod Residence

Seattle, WA--July 10, 2008—Local artists explore a variety of themes and materials as a method to make meaning during August and September at McLeod Residence. Robert Zverina emphasizes the importance of everyday artifacts a with a collection of photographs and one to 30 second films titled memory (w)hole; Allison Kudla mimics manufactured patterns in living plant matter for Decorative Growth Pattern; and a group of local furniture and lighting designers display their wares in What.Why Seattle Design. The exhibits open on August 1, 2008, with a reception from 5-9pm and will be up through September 27. Robert Zverina will spin 45s on a self-contained 1960s tube amp record player during the reception.

Robert Zverina's memory (w)hole explores the importance of tangible artifacts in an increasingly digital age where information has become more ephemeral and history can be revised with just a few keystrokes. In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, history is constantly being rewritten, with the old versions being tossed into the "memory hole"--an incinerator. memory (w)hole is a play on words that implies we inhabit a space between total recall and utter amnesia. Where one falls on that spectrum is a conscious choice. Robert's obsession with documenting life's everyday details through video, writing, and photography puts him firmly towards one end.

Robert will turn the McLeod Residence Conservatory into a small theater, showing his short films shot on a digital pocket camera. Robert carries his camera wherever he goes and shoots films daily that are anywhere from one to 30 seconds in length. He then select the best clips, annotates them with descriptive keywords and logs the date, location, and subject of each micro-documentary in a process he's dubbed AUTOBIOANTHROPOLOGRAPHY, a combination of autobiography and anthropology. His hope is that these vignettes combined with objective data will give future folklorists a useful glimpse into a subjective history of the early 21st century.

In the adjacent parlor, Robert will exhibit photographic prints and various artifacts.

Born 1969 in Liberty, New York to recently-emigrated Czech political refugees, Seattle resident Robert Zverina is an interdisciplinary artist who maintains an ongoing web documentary called Picture of the Day. More information can be found at www.zverina.com/i.

Allison Kudla will create an installation for the Lions closet. Decorative Growth Pattern is made of living plant matter that takes on the form of a man-made decorative pattern and explores a territory where human constructions are present in the genetic formations of living systems. Leaves are shaped by a digital image and suspended in square tiled petri dishes that contain necessary nutrients to keep the plants alive. Viewers will witness subtle changes in color and texture over the duration of the exhibit. 

Allison Kudla is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Washington's Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media (DXARTS). She holds a BFA from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago (2002) and is interested in using technology in her art to gain greater perspectives on the system in which we exist.

The foyer will feature What.Why Seattle Design, a juried collection of home furnishings from local designers. What.Why is a quarterly forum for Seattle-area designers to receive exposure and feedback  for their work. The selections include furniture from Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, furniture and light fixtures from Graypants and Iacoli  & McAllister, and bags and clothing by Meet Me Here. What.Why Seattle Design is a limited engagement and will only be on exhibit from August 1 to August 15.

* * *

McLeod Residence is a home for extraordinary living through art, technology and collaboration. In addition to the lounge that boasts a full bar, McLeod Residence's gallery space features exhibitions that rotate every two months and acts as a venue for events such as readings, musical performances, films, and parties. Proprietors Buster McLeod and Lele McLeod founded McLeod Residence in 2006. McLeod Residence gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, noon-6pm. The Lounge is open Tuesday-Sunday, 6pm-2am, with happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 6-8pm. For more information, contact McLeod Residence at 206-441-3314 or visit www.mcleodresidence.com.