The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents HERE by Artist Danny Bracken, 1/16-3/1

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the opening of HERE, an exhibition created by artist Danny Bracken, which explores the ways in which technology has shifted concepts of place. Influenced by urban planning, home renovation, and responsive installation art, the work approaches place-making through a number of channels. The exhibition is on view January 16-March 1, 2015, at 707 Penn Gallery. An opening reception takes place Friday, January 16, 2014, from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

In his first solo exhibition, Danny Bracken uses video, sound, sculpture, and printed material, to investigate the intersection, conflict, and possible compatibility of our physical and digital worlds.

"I am fascinated by the ways in which our interest to live and invest in traditional city centers seemingly conflicts with the dramatic shift in how humans interact due to our eager embrace of social networks," shared Bracken. "The exhibition seeks to question and investigate how the concept of place has changed with the adoption of new technologies, and the ways in which our relationship to physical surroundings and the natural world has evolved."

Two works included within HERE are entitled The Lower Hill: Over and Over and Allegheny Center: Over and Over. Both works are illustrations based on maps from the past, present, and proposed future designs of two Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Allegheny Center and The Lower Hill. The two locations have shared similar histories; once centers of thriving business districts, the artist proposes that both neighborhoods fell victim to the urban revitalization schemes of the 1960's. Currently, both neighborhoods have proposed revitalization plans-featuring much of what has previously existed. The printed images appear and disappear with projected circles of white light; as the light fades, the image appears, revealing the glowing print. The works included in Over and Over question our ideas of progress, the future, and nostalgia for the past.

Also part of the exhibit, Home Maker I & II are wall-mounted video sculptures made from scrap wood and aluminum ductwork. Each created sculpture houses a small video screen, playing portraits from everyday life. Paired with continuously looping musical clips, the images themselves are non-linear, endlessly playing the repetitions of human activity in a home.

Home Maker I & II are investigations into our desire for a sense of place and belonging. Images of reading a book, eating soup, and playing music bring to mind the warmth and pleasures of home, while the chopping of food, brushing of teeth, and bricklaying convey the routine and repetition of everyday life. The sculptured objects, used for viewing, become tunnels into a private world; the small apertures provide for a personal interaction with the viewer.

Danny Bracken is a multi-disciplinary artist, whose practice explores experiential interactions between video, sound, and physical space, ranging from immersive, multi-sensory installations to small-scale sculptures. Music often plays a central role in his visual works, creating an entry point to engage with the physical and conceptual components of a piece.

www.dannybracken.com

707 Penn Gallery
707 Penn Gallery is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The gallery is located at 707 Penn Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Gallery Hours: Wed. & Thurs. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun.11 a.m.-5 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information about all gallery exhibitions featured in the Cultural District, please visit www.TrustArts.org.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh's most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country's largest land masses "curated" by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh's quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. For more information, visit TrustArts.org.

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Photo Courtesy of Danny Bracken's website