SAN JOSÉ, California (June 7, 2017) — Bay Area artist Ruth Eckland will give a one-night-only presentation of her video and virtual reality work Star Fields VR with programmer Tom Angelopoulos at the San José Museum of Art on Thursday, June 15, 2017, 5 – 8 PM. This modified presentation of Star Fields (the original 2005 new media work in SJMA’s collection) will offer visitors an opportunity to experience the artwork through an immersive, virtual reality environment headset. The virtual reality portion will have real-time live feed to a display monitor which allows observers to see what participants are experiencing. The event will also include mindful-looking tours of the exhibition, Your Mind, This Moment: art and the practice of attention, a self-guided drawing activity, star-themed cocktails, and a selfie station. Tickets are $5 after 5 PM and available online at sjmusart.org/event/third-thursday-star-fields.
Ruth Eckland started her career as a photographer and began working with video in 2000. She approaches her dreamy, lyrical imagery from the idea that everyone has a unique way of seeing due to the complicated process of perception. In conjunction with the current exhibition, Your Mind, This Moment, the San José Museum of Art invited Ruth Eckland to envision a different version of her new media piece, Star Fields. Originally an immersive installation, Ruth Eckland’s Star Fields has been reconfigured into a 3D virtual reality experience to be viewed via an HTC Vive headset, allowing participants to venture into a starry universe.
Your Mind, This Moment: art and the practice of attention, on view through August 27, 2017, is an experiment that presents contemporary artworks as objects of meditation. Drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection, it brings together the increasingly popular interest in mindfulness practices with the process of looking at art. It features works by Anne Appleby, Lesley Dill, Eric Fischl, Chris Fraser, Mineko Grimmer and Tam Van Tran, among others.
SAN JOSÉ MUSEUM OF ART
The San José Museum of Art celebrates new ideas, stimulates creativity, and inspires connection with every visit. Welcoming and thought-provoking, the Museum rejects stuffiness and delights visitors with its surprising and playful perspective on the art and artists of our time.
SJMA is located at 110 South Market Street in downtown San José, California. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM and until 8 PM or later on the third Thursday of each month. For more information, call 408-271-6840 or visit www.SanJoseMuseumofArt.org.
# # #