Formulations

ABSTRACT: How do we define nature on an intimate level? How do we ascribe value to the myriad processes that surround us on a daily basis? Through conceptual explorations in the mediums of photography, video, and sculptural installation, Petranek's artwork touches on the remarkable presence these natural phenomena can have in our lives and questions whether our cultural, scientific, or otherwise logical rationalizations of nature have the potential to fully recognize our relationship to it. Through the discussion of human logic schemes such as the objective observer, our scientific capacity to model nature and our cultural codification of natural law, this research aims to contextualize Petranek's visual experimentations in contemporary art practice.

Autorentext

Petranek is a professor of Photography and Intermedia at Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI. His studio practice explores the boundaries between science, technology and nature. Influenced by his training as a biologist, his projects draw conclusions through experimentation and repetitive observation. He received his MFA from RIT in 2006.