Last night I had the chance to hear filmmaker and artist, Bill Domonkos, discuss and celebrate his art that is now featured in the Downtown Art Gallery’s new exhibition, “Makeover”. Starting with the Downtown event held at the Campus Theatre, Domonkos introduced three pieces of art from his collection. His work assembles archival footage, animation, and music which altogether make a totally new experience from its original source. Bill Domonkos began his talk by comparing the source, archival footage, with the end product, his art. It was quite interesting to observe how Domonkos completely manipulated the footage to create something personal to him. The first piece of video he showcased at this event was called “The Poppy”. Interestingly, the archival footage- the source of his video art- had made the audience laugh. This 1950s footage was overly misogynistic, something that ties along with this idea of the 1950s culture. The ridiculousness of the narration was interpreted by the 21st century audience as funny. Domonkos manipulations in “The Poppy” however selectively cropped some of the footage to create an alter experience. The music that accompanies, and takes the place of the original narration, helps produce an altogether eerie, dark experience. By comparing the archival footage with the work of art however, it was interesting to see how Domonkos controlled the mood just by certain artistic decisions. This eerie aura is somewhat of a theme in Domonkos’ work. His music selection and his focus on black and white film naturally produce this feeling of despair or paranoia. Although not always the case, Domonkos commented that even he, the artist, acknowledges that his work surprisingly produces this unsettling affect through most of his work.
After watching two other works of art, Domonkos invited the guests across the street to the Downtown Art Gallery. Last night was the first night to premiere the opening of ”Makeover.” Food and refreshments were provided as the public went around observing the new works of art that were installed in the newest exhibition. “Makeover” is a collaborative exhibition which showcases two separate artists, Bill Domonkos and Elliott Anderson. Last night the public was able to view both artists’ work and even talk to the artists. Furthermore, the Gallery Engagement Team promoted this event with a movie trivia table. Guests were able to guess on movie trivia for a chance to win coupons at the local restaurant, Pronto!. These two events, the one at the Campus Theatre & the one at the Downtown Art Gallery, provided outlets for both art lovers and movie enthusiasts to come together and celebrate Bill Domonkos’ art.
This coming Thursday, April 18th, the other artist whose work is installed in “Makeover” will be giving a talk about his art. Come join the Bucknell Art Galleries & the Gallery Engagement Team celebrate Elliott Anderson’s art at 6 pm at the Downtown Art Gallery. See you there!