Piedmont Arts Galleries Transform into Marsh Habitat in New Exhibit

Carol Burch-Brown and Ann Kilkelly, Imagery from Salt Marsh Suite, dance performance. Courtesy of the artists. 

Art installation re-creates salt marsh habitat using video, sound

A new art installation at Piedmont Arts will transform the museum’s galleries into a salt marsh habitat, using video and sound.

Salt Marsh Suite, an inter-media arts installation and dance performance created by Virginia Tech professors Carol Burch-Brown and Ann Kilkelly will be on display at the museum January 14 – February 25, 2017.

Based on fieldwork and close observation of a North Carolina coastal estuary, Salt Marsh Suite is a collaborative video installation that combines art, science and technology to engage viewers in the beautiful, almost magical quality of the tidal marsh and the life within it, while giving a sense of the vulnerability of the marsh habitat.

“Technological tools extend our physical observation and also our capacity to give imaginative form to aspects of the world that we can’t see or know directly,” said Burch-Brown. “Our intention in Salt Marsh Suite is to create an immersive sensory environment that puts viewers in an intimate and digitally created ‘natural’ world where the scale and the viewer’s relationship to that world has been altered.”

Russell Hart from Brink of Light

In conjunction with Salt Marsh Suite, an interactive exhibit featuring specimens native to the marsh habitat from the collection of the Virginia Museum of Natural History and an exhibit of infrared landscape photographs by Russell Hart will also be on display.

Hart is the former Executive Editor of American Photo magazine and a professor in the Master’s in Digital Photography program at New York City’s School of Visual Arts. He shares photographs from two nature-centric collections, Brink of Light and Water Rights.

In addition, works by David Lunt will be on display in the Lynwood Artists Gallery.

Piedmont Arts hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10 am – 5 pm and Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm. Admission is free.

Members-Only Reception

Friday, January 13 • 5:30 – 7:30 pm • Piedmont Arts

Piedmont Arts will host a Members-Only Reception in honor of Salt Marsh Suite, Russell Hart and Works by David Lunt on Friday, January 13 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the museum. Piedmont Arts members, prospective members, artists and guests are invited to attend.  

An artist talk will begin at 6 pm, followed by two Salt Marsh Suite dance performances at 6:15 pm and 6:45 pm. Complimentary wine and light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP attendance by calling 276.632.3221 or online.

Salt Marsh Suite is presented in partnership with Virginia Museum of Natural History and sponsored by Susan and Charles Aaron, Brad Johnson, The Patterson Foundation,  William Whidbee Sale and Virginia B. Sale Foundation and Lynwood Artists.