Diorama creative catalyst drama coming to pocket park, California Center for the Arts
“Information retrieval” is one way to view art, at least according to Escondido artist Matthew Hebert who unveils his temporary diorama art on Dec. 12 at Heritage Garden Park. The 2-year-old park, actually a pocket park, is not to be missed at the corner of Grand Avenue and Juniper Street.
The project is funded by the Creative Catalyst Fund, a San Diego Foundation $20,000 grant that goes to local professional artists. An associate professor of art at San Diego State University, Hebert was one of the chosen 10 artists who won awards.
Diorama artist Matt Hebert checks it out.
Hebert, and his amazing technicolor dioramas are at the park for Dec. 12 only. Dioramas, for the uninitiated, are a three-dimensional full-size or miniature models sometimes enclosed in a glass, cardboard or wooden framework.
The Dec. 12 installation coincides with Escondido’s popular art walk, which takes off the second Saturday of each month.
Have no fear, however, the exhibit moves over to the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, in January, so if you blink at the pocket park, you’ll still catch the drift then.
“I’m collecting memories about people’s experiences with the landscape that have somehow been impacted by technology,” Hebert said. “I want it to be monumental, but I also want it to kind of be absurd.”
Hebert’s diorama cabinets are made of wood, backlit by motion-sensing lights. Recorded spoken-word pieces will surround the vision with sound. Viewer look through peepholes and are encouraged to send their personal memories to Hebert at his website http://www.eleetwarez.net.
Hebert hopes to get enough crowdsource memory submissions to fill every one of the wooden diorama cabinets he has created. “I wanted it to look like Stonehenge,” he said, “because I imagine that was a huge gathering place for that community. Hopefully they’ll gather at this one.”
For more information about Hebert and his work visit http://eleetwarez.net/index.php?/dioramic/information-retrieval/
Matthew Hebert, artist
The concept for Information Retrieval evolved through an ongoing exploration into interactive sculpture and peephole dioramas as evocative forms of narrative. While my work has always included kinetic elements, I have been working with the diorama format for just five years. I am interested in exploring the accessibility and expressive power of dioramas through a collaboration with the larger San Diego County community. My interest in the accessible and expressive qualities of the diorama coupled with my extensive explorations into our relationship with the “natural” and “built” environment, make this project integral to the development of my creative practice.
— Matt Hebert
