An Unresolved Presence, The Intangible Light

8/20/2019 An Unresolved Presence, The Intangible Light

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A P R I L G R E I M A NA N U N R E S O LV E D P R E S E N C E , T H E I N TA N G I B L E L I G H T


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T R A N S - M E D I A A RT I S T:A P R I L G R E I M A N

• Greiman was born into the babyboom in New York to a verysupportive family who encouragedher curiosities as a child.

• She pursued a BFA in GraphicDesign with a minor in Ceramics atKCAI. Afterwards, she wasencouraged to study at the BaselSchool of Design where her studiopractice developed under theguidance of Armin Hofmann andWolfgang Weingart.

! Born to a creative family that encouraged her creative spirit; father was a wanderer/explorer who embraced curiosities, her mother a calm presence, who would invite Greiman to dance with her professionally from time to time, aswell as her Aunt Kitty, who is an accomplished dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies.

! Studied at KCAI and then at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. Studied formal Swiss design but was inuenced by Weingart’s experimentation in breaking the grid. Had a solid background in the International Style beforeshe began her experiments — her education here would shape her career. Since there was a language barrier within the school, the professors would demonstrate in silence and leave the students to explore their design.


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– A P R I L G R E I M A N

“While most processes occur at an invisible or microscopic level, the desertreveals its evolution in its very existence. I felt as if, for the first time, my

eyes were wide open to the process of evolution, to growth, to change.”

! Read quote ! go further into her life — after Europe, went to LA where a friend, Jayme Odgers, dragged her to the desert for photos; it was her experience of the sublime and the desert that will also stay with her for the rest of her life.! She heads Made In Space Inc. (design rm) ! uses inexpensive materials like Kodak cameras and 8mm video


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Greiman, April. Does It Make Sense. Issue #133 of Design Quarterly. 1986

! “Design must seduce, shape, and perhaps more importantly, evoke an emotional response.”! I think Greiman fully expressed that in this piece. This was a magazine spread that can fold out to the size of a proper poster of 3’ x 6’. Greiman put this poster in an article that highlighted her style as a digital artist that followed the New Wave

design of Weingart. This was the world’s true introduction to April Greiman — her work had been circulated in the design world but this was Greiman declaring her art practice and philosophy to the design world, especially with her innovative useof the Macintosh computer (it took t he art/design world by storm).

! Combines traditional design tools with low resolution image making.


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N E W WAV E D E S I G N

• April Greiman is heralded as oneof the pioneers of digital designand embracing technology andthe computer as an extension ofthe hand in design.

• Typical characteristics of the styleare: inconsistent letter spacingwithin a sentence/word, varyingtype weights, type set at non-right angles.

New Wave Design, dubbed Punk Swiss Design, was a response to the International Style. According to some people, New Wave made Punk design more palatable for the masses. New Wave rejects the grid and structure of theInternational Typographic Style and embraces color and expression. Typical characteristics of the style are: i nconsistent letter spacing, varying type weights, type set at non-right angles.It stretches the limits of legibility and was inuenced by Post-modern language theory (in which meanings are never set and are reliant on the culture in which the set of signiers were created — nothing is universal) That could be whyGreiman’s work focuses a lot on an other non-resolved state. (such as her Drive By Shooting series)


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Greiman’s work heavily makes use of the collage aesthetic and breaking the grid. Under Weingart’s instruction, Greiman experimented in breaking the grid and structured hierarchy as well as using text and image to evoke emotionswithin the viewer. This style is reminiscent of the Dada period of art where ne art was really challenged.


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These are more examples of her work — Greiman paved the way for digital design.! 19th Amendment Commemorative Stamp using cool colors


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“Seeing is a kind of thinking, an instantaneous synthesis from a chaos ofsimultaneous visual impressions — a coherent whole, a single perception,

a unique observation.”

This is a quote by Greiman about her Drive By Shooting (2006) collection. It really encapsulates, I think, Greiman’s philosophy and approach to design — in which the imagery is layered, ever-altering, and the boundary between whatis said/not said is shown. Greiman’s approach is to break down the structure and present a chaos in her design, one in which the viewer has to explore and understand. That doesn’t mean it’s incomprehensible design, simply anexpressionistic design. It does make one feel and force the viewer to take a new perspective on the work and on design itself. This is probably one of the reasons Greiman is so innovative of a designer.


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April Greiman’s Drive By Shooting (2006) series where she wanted explore how photography and cameras change the perspective of the material world. What the human eye sees is altered by the translation of light and volume intobits and bytes. Material objects l ose their presence while intangible things such as light and color take up volume, presence, and attention.


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“I like to step into areas where I am afraid. Fear is asign that I am going in the right direction.”

I feel like this is me, because Greiman’s work scares me. I have honestly never attempted anything like this in my entire art career.


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My photos of Vanderslice takes inspiration from Greiman’s Drive By Shooting where she experimented with motion blur and exposures to both give presence and take it away in her composition.


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An Unresolved Presence, The Intangible Light

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