More stories

  • in

    ‘The Praise House’ Shares the Story of a Contemplative Installation on an Alabama Plantation

    All images courtesy of 1504, shared with permisison

    ‘The Praise House’ Shares the Story of a Contemplative Installation on an Alabama Plantation

    March 6, 2025

    ArtFilmHistorySocial Issues

    Grace Ebert

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    On the site of the former Scott’s Grove Baptist Church, artist Tony M. Bingham has constructed a monumental work of contemplation and reflection. Two wood-paneled walls stand parallel in the serene clearing with stained glass windows, a Sylacauga marble floor, and a steel cutout depicting members who once worshiped on its grounds.

    A tribute to local history, Bingham’s work is titled “The Praise House,” which takes its name from the vernacular structures people who were enslaved often built on plantations throughout the Southern U.S. as a space for prayer. “My way of addressing the power and the legacy is to just begin to look at some of the possible sources of opposition that the enslaved community could have participated in,” the artist says.

    A new short documentary follows Bingham as he visits The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation and installs the work. Located just outside of Birmingham in Harpersville, Alabama, the former plantation house is now a space for healing and reconciliation run by descendants of both the enslaved and enslavers.

    Today, the center hosts a variety of art and culture programming to reflect on its history, and “The Praise House” is one such commission. After learning more about the enslaved communities, Bingham wanted to create a work that honored their legacy. “Using organic, repurposed, and cast-off materials, I make art that tells the story of my cast-off people,” he says, adding:

    The house was being historically renovated, and planks of lumber were being replaced. I imagined that these old boards were the very surfaces enslaved people walked on or touched, and I sought to bring those materials back together in a way that could inspire reflection on the history of the enslaved people who once lived there.

    Directed by Tyler Jones of 1504, the film is a poignant, enlightening glimpse into the lengthy process behind “The Praise House.” Bingham, who is a professor at Miles College in Birmingham, frequently invokes the historical realities of the location and returns to fundamental questions about the purpose of his work and art more broadly. “Who will speak for my people if not the artist?” he asks. “Who will help those outside of the art dialog to understand the creative potential they possess?”

    Watch “The Praise House” above, and find more from the artist on Instagram.

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

    Hide advertising

    Save your favorite articles

    Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

    Receive members-only newsletter

    Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

    Join us today!

    $7/month

    $75/year

    Explore membership options

    Next article More

  • in

    14,000 Prescription Lenses Dangle like Dewdrops in a Lush Japanese Forest

    All images courtesy of Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, shared with permission

    14,000 Prescription Lenses Dangle like Dewdrops in a Lush Japanese Forest

    October 15, 2024

    Art

    Grace Ebert

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    Suspended like a vortex of rain, a new installation from Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett ushers viewers into a shimmering enclosure.

    “A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm” dangles 14,000 prescription lenses from a pair of concentric circles. Created for the Northern Alps Art Festival in Omachi City, the site-specific work evokes the region’s historic relationship to water.

    Blanketed with heavy snow in the winter and drenched during rainy summers, the city experiences several wet seasons. Situated at the base of the Japanese mountain range, it boasts natural features like lakes, hot springs, and hydroelectric dams. Omachi has also seen its population rapidly dwindle in recent years.

    Brown and Garrett have previously worked with found, recycled objects like lightbulbs and telephones. Nested behind Nishina Shrine along the shore of Lake Kizaki, this new piece repurposes eyeglasses that catch and refract sunlight and magnify the surrounding cedar forest, focusing viewers’ gazes on the enlarged natural world around them.

    “The work invites visitors to look at the landscape (and each other) with fresh eyes, seeing differently and peering deeply into the ancient and evolving landscape,” the artists say.

    “A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm” is on view through November 4. Find more from Brown and Garrett on their website.

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

    Hide advertising

    Save your favorite articles

    Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

    Receive members-only newsletter

    Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

    Join us today!

    $7/month

    $75/year

    Explore membership options

    Next article More

  • in

    A Fleet of Aging Cars Takes a Chromatic Turn in Fred Battle’s Caravan-Sized Color Chart

    All photos by Agency.WTF, courtesy of Fred Battle, shared with permission

    A Fleet of Aging Cars Takes a Chromatic Turn in Fred Battle’s Caravan-Sized Color Chart

    October 15, 2024

    Art

    Grace Ebert

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    In an old French scrapyard, Fred Battle hits the brakes on a fleet of aging cars. For his 2019 installation “Solara,” the artist painted the exteriors of 144 dilapidated vehicles from the 60s to 90s with vibrant colors. Hoods, roofs, and trunks shine once again with bold hues corresponding to an RGB color value, their codes written on the bonnet.

    “I decided to create this color chart by observing the action of the sun on the horizontal surfaces of these cars,” Battle wrote. “As each of these cars has had its proper life as an object, then applying one specific color on each reveals its singularity, its personal and particular use.”

    Enveloped by lush foliage, the automobiles are parked in chromatic rows, creating an enormous, outdoor swatch book best viewed from above.

    Battle frequently works on walls, vehicles, and canvases, painting bright, dynamic works that grapple with movement, public space, and gathering. Find much more on his Instagram.

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

    Hide advertising

    Save your favorite articles

    Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

    Receive members-only newsletter

    Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

    Join us today!

    $7/month

    $75/year

    Explore membership options

    Previous articleNext article More