SCAD’s annual DeFine Art event swept through Savannah and Atlanta this week, leaving attendees inspired by an abundance of exhibits, lectures and concerts.
Bursting to the stage with fierce, unparalleled energy, BOSCO takes the annual DeFINE Art stage by storm. Atlanta-based SCAD Alum Brittany Bosco gave an electric performance, fusing her Afrofuturistic, R&B sound with the graphic works of Emeka Alams. Also a SCAD Alum, Alams has worked with Coldplay, Nas and Major Lazer, currently an art director in Bayreuth, Germany.
The video installation of African performers and vintage VCR clips dance behind Bosco as her soothing voice carried the audience through a captivating rendition of “Waterfalls” by TLC and her very own “Flowers.” The scene was an intimate, personal experience oozing with passion and unparalleled emotion.
Think Twice, an exhibit collaboration between Mexican architect Pedro Reyes and fashion designer Carla Fernandez, dives headfirst into the controversy of hot-button political topics through the exploration of sound and furniture and clothing design.
Musical instruments made from guns and assorted weaponry are transformed into flutes, guitars and tambourines. Their unique sounds, recorded on a vinyl album, played throughout the exhibit. The symbolism of these instruments was motivated by the violence consuming modern-day Mexico City— the birthplace of Reyes and Fernández.
Chain-linked fences and large steel barriers divide the works of the two collaborating artists, linked through a common theme of art and expression. This is undoubtedly accredited to Trump’s pro-division mentality, stimulating violence and tension across the border.
Towards the back of the exhibit, Indigenous-inspired clothing drapes the features of the mannequins, printed with bold slogans which challenge the workings of modern politics. Fringes, hand-made fibers and century-old tribal loom work are among the many techniques incorporated into the displayed wearables.
Fernández composes ornate tribal headpieces, each foliage element grown and created in Savannah, Georgia. Over 95% of native tribes covering North and South America have been killed off, the remaining 5% struggle to keep their culture alive through the wrath of colonization. Fernández expresses the beauty and significance of the Indigenous people through the art of fashion design and symbolic accessorizing.
An exhibition by SCAD Alumni Monica Cook derails our common knowledge of sculpture as we know it. Liquid Vessels explores the application of mixed media and its many possibilities through adornment and decor. A close-up look is a spectacle for the eyes where the smallest details capture our attention.
Laced with common-use items such as buoys and mirror shards, it’s impossible to shake the Renaissance aura of the exhibit. Carrying through to Cook’s displayed paintings Tincture 1 and Tincture 2 is the common theme of mystical fragility splashed with low saturation pinks, blues and yellows.
From emerging musicians to politically-charged exhibits, SCAD’s 2019 DeFINE Art has been nothing short of a feast for the senses and enlightenment of the mind.
Written by Anna Vescovi
Photo by Savannah Lacroix