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Impermanence

Darlene Beiter

March 6 through April 18, 2015

Organized by guest curator and photographer Daniel Levin, Impermanence celebrates place, use, and time in downtown Cleveland, Ohio City, University Circle, Little Italy, and the Heights suburbs through pairs of photographs showing the same view of a site at different historical times. This “then and now” perspective  allows the viewer to notice dramatic as well as subtle changes that have occurred to some of our most iconic community institutions and streetscapes, or more commonplace subject matter such as home interiors. The exhibition includes some unexpected images of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Arena District and Coventry neighborhoods which are sure to trigger a flood of memories in long-term Cleveland residents, as well as delight area newcomers.

Using an academic approach known as “Rephotographic Survey,” each of the photographers reexamines these often-brittle photographic prints, first finding the original location and then determining details such as the time of day, season, and where the original photographer was standing.  “Where the camera is positioned, plus its angle of view and depth of focus must exactly match the original composition,” explains Levin. “In some cases, it took real effort on the photographer’s end to get to the exact location where the original image was recorded. You may find you are now standing in the middle of a street, or an obstacle may now be in your way. In a few of the photographs, there is little to recognize from the old image. In others there are surprisingly only slight changes in the scene, despite decades or up to a century of time passing. Either way, these photographs are magical.”

Eleven respected Cleveland photographers are represented in the exhibition: Darlene Beiter, Andrew Cari, Beverly Conley, David Hagen, Mark Holz, Nathan Migal, Chuck Mintz, Karin McKenna, Emily Smith, Victoria Stanbridge, and Brian Swaney.

Impermanence opens on Friday, March 6, with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m.  It is on view at Heights Arts through Saturday, April 18, during normal gallery hours.

 

Related Programming

Curator’s Talk + Ekphrastic Poetry

Thursday, April 2, 7:00 p.m., Heights Arts Gallery, Free

Hear curator Daniel Levin and Impermanence photographers share insights on exhibition works, process and vision. Invited regional poets will also read original poems created in response to select images on view.

 

Exhibition Gold Sponsor: MotoPhoto Cedar Center

 Image: Euclid Avenue: l. unknown photographer r. Darlene Beiter

 

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