Mapping Emotional Perceptions. From Josef Albers to Mathias Goeritz. Laboratory of Paper

April 25 - May 21

Crosby Hall First Floor Gallery

UB South Campus

The exhibition, "Mapping Emotional Perceptions. From Josef Albers to Mathias Goeritz. Laboratory of Paper" shows the work of students from two seminars that took place in the Fall 2015 and the Spring 2016.

Based on the parallel lives of German artists Josef Albers and Mathias Goeritz, and the Vorkurs or basic design courses developed by Albers, the seminars exposed students to different compositional strategies that were based on a material approach. Through the regular production of nine 8.5" x 8.5" paper piece series, students worked with concepts like repetition, sequence, order, symmetry, variation, chance, and interpretation. The resulting exploration was not only visually attractive, but intellectually challenging. The material process, although highly abstract and theoretical, could be applied directly to architectural design. Students were therefore able to understand pathways for formal design that have a highly-charged intellectual approach resulting in an approach that is material but also perceptually emotional.

The exhibition shows content that will be part of the book of the same title, currently in process and made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts NYSCA through the Van Alen Institute. The book is scheduled to be presented in 2017.