In his latest exhibition, digital craftsperson Marcus Piper expands the definition of drawing through experimental compositions involving light, sound, objects and viewer interaction. The exhibition also draws on Piper's background in graphic design, industrial design, art, music, photography, typography, printmaking and publishing. The exhibition Optic 01: Drawing Parallels is on show at Useful Objects in Collingwood until August 30.
The exhibition features a series of mirror-based sculptures, darkroom photograms and digitally-animated prints that challenge conventional boundaries between mediums. A key highlight is a sculptural coffee table that "draws itself" - a suspended drawing within its frame shifts in depth and form through internal reflections as the viewer moves around it.
"This exhibition is about a way of viewing the world. Or, seeing it differently - with you in it," says Piper. "It draws heavily on my enduring habit of marking parallel lines and creating depth from a two-dimensional plane through experimentation with processes and materials."
A consistent monochrome palette runs through the show. From photograms created using transparent sculptures and 15 seconds of refracted light, to digital animations generated from a six-hour musical score, the works span the analogue and the digital - a space Piper calls home.
"I wouldn't be me if I didn't challenge things," Piper says. "Challenging the idea of perfect is also part of it and inviting the process into the outcome."
One installation, the Nota triptych, demonstrates Piper's performative method. It began with the artist composing a full-length piece of music, which triggered movement in an animation of his drawings. Still frames from the resulting digital performance were then printed onto glass and mirror.
"Everything I do is crafted," Piper explains. "My tools are (generally) digital but I bridge the analogue era. I am also a person. It is that simple but really important as a definition outside the pigeon holes of designer or artist."
The exhibition doesn't just invite viewers to look - it requires their presence. Three wall mirrors printed with drawings reflect both the audience and the room around them. The drawings shift with light, angle and perspective, creating an experience that's never the same twice.
"I love the idea that you create the drawing and it will never be seen the same twice," Piper says. "Ultimately, I just want to share that experience of being 'in the drawing' with anyone who comes across the work."
Presented by Useful Objects, Optic 01: Drawing Parallels is on until August 30.
