Newport Museum and Art Gallery play host to Simon Fenoulhet’s latest creation Lucent Lines

Lucent Lines is a site specific light installation created to make the most of the unique temporary exhibitions space at Newport. As well as two other works (hollow promise and line upon line) the exhibition will feature Curtain, a 9 metre wall of shifting light made from 448 electro-luminescent wire and 5000 plastic drinking straws.

The artist, whose medium is light, will completely transform the gallery space creating a unique visitor experience which is not to be missed.

Simon Fenoulhet’s work takes many forms, but there’s a common thread that runs though much of it. It’s the pursuit of this thread that takes his work in so many directions: He looks for magic in the simple, the ordinary, the practical-by-design. He could be using bricks, drawing pins, cocktail stirrers, teaspoons. He could find something familiar, like shoe laces, or new like electro-luminescent wire, as he does in this exhibition. In his hands they take on a new life; become something else. In the series of drawings shoelaces stand in for charcoal lines, their fuzzy edges mimic the roughly drawn line, turning what could be a straight geometrical exercise into something more poetic, as it becomes apparent that all is not as it first seems.

The wire curtain hangs like a veil. The coloured drinking straws threaded through the wire, gently distort the straight lines so, as the light pulses through the curtain, it echoes ripples on water or cloud movements. It’s transparent, so that people on the other side can be seen moving across its surface. The straws glow like neon, their colours sing as they light up and then fade. While the effect is simple and beautiful, behind the scenes there’s lots of complex technology at work. Simon worked with stage lighting engineers and used a video capture technique that reads pixel data from a moving image. So a slice through a video of clouds scudding or water rippling is read as little data switches that turn the wire on and off, creating the sense of movement. It’s simply magical and there’s no need to understand the complicated technology behind it to appreciate it.
Light has been significant in much of what Simon does. He’s brought a gallery-in-waiting to life by night; made a wall see-through; created a glowing universe of Laser-lit ping-pong balls and lit up a church. For his Arts Council of Wales Creative Wales Award, he looked for darkness in the potholes and caves of South Wales. Wriggling through tiny cracks with his camera, he found new ways to record the places where the sun never shines. (Emma Geliot)

The official opening for the exhibition is Saturday 30th January 2008 at 11a.m.
Simon will be conducting two gallery tour-and-talks of the exhibition on Saturday March 6th at 11.30 and Weds March 24th at 2pm the talks are free and all are welcome.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Newport Museum and Art Gallery has a commitment to giving its audience the chance to see some of the most interesting work that is being made in Wales and further afield. In Simon’s case there’s a local connection too. He studied for his Fine Art degree at Newport Art College (UWN) and is now a visiting lecturer there. This exhibition has enabled some of the next generation of artists from UWN to work with Simon in developing this show.

Simon, who did an MA in Fine Art at Cardiff College of Art (UWIC), has an impressive track record in managing public art commissions for Cywaith Cymru. Artworks Wales and latterly Celfwaith, as well as in producing work for his own solo shows. He therefore understands that art is only as interesting as its audience is interested. He really wants to communicate the sense of wonder he feels when he sees the potential in a humdrum object, or discovers some new techno- wizardry that changes people’s perceptions about the ordinary things around them. Simon’s work has a gentle humour and a sympathetic approach. He helps us to re-evaluate the things that we take for granted in our day-to-day life and to see them through new eyes.

Newport Museum and Art Gallery is supported by Arts Council of Wales.

Lucent Lines
A site specific light installation by artist Simon Fenoulhet

NEWPORT MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY
John Frost Square, Newport, South Wales NP20 1PA, Tel. (01633) 656656

30 January 2010 – 3 April 2010
ADMISSION FREE

OPENING TIMES: Monday Thursday 9.30am - 5.00pm;
Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm; Saturday 9.30am - 4.00pm

Directions: For further details of how to get to venue please call 01633 656656 or go to our website www.newport.gov.uk/artgallery

Datganiad i’r Wasg

Amgueddfa ac Oriel gelf Casnewydd yn cyflwyno Lucent Lines, creadigaeth ddiweddaraf Simon Fenoulhet.

Gosodiad golau sy’n benodol ar gyfer yr olwg yw Lucent Lines a grëwyd i fanteisio i’r eithaf ar ofod unigryw arddangos fydd dros dro yng Nghasnewydd. Yn ogystal â dau ddarn o waith arall (hollow promise a line upon line) bydd yr arddangosfa’n cynnwys Curtain, wal 9 medr o oleuadau symudol wedi’i chreu o 448 o wifrau electro-ymoleuol a 5,000 o wellt yfed plastig.

Bydd yr artist, sy’n gweithio trwy gyfrwng golau, yn trawsffurfio gofod yr oriel yn gyfan gwbl gan greu profiad unigryw i ymwelwyr.

Mae gwaith Simon Fenoulhet yn berchen ar sawl ffurf ond mae llinyn cyffredin yn rhedeg trwy’r rhan fwyaf ohono. Wrth olrhain y llinyn hwn, mae ei waith yn mynd i gymaint o gyfeiriadau: mae’n chwilio am hud yn y pethau syml, cyffredin, yr ymarferol trwy gynllun. Gallai fod yn defnyddio brics, pinnau bawd, llwyau coctels, llwyau te. Gallai ddod o hyd i rywbeth cyfarwydd, fel careiau esgidiau, neu rywbeth newydd fel gwifren trydan-ymoleuol, fel y gwna yn ei arddangosfa. Yn ei ddwylo, maent yn cael bywyd newydd; yn dod yn rhywbeth arall. Yn y gyfres o luniau, mae careiau yn cymryd lle llinellau siarcol, eu hymylon ffluwchaidd yn dynwared y llinell a dynnwyd yn fras, yn troi beth allai fod yn ymarfer geometrig syml yn rhywbeth mwy barddonol, wrth iddi ddod yn amlwg nad yw pob dim fel y dylai fod.

Mae’r llen weiar yn hongian fel fêl. Mae’r fflasgiau yfed lliwgar wedi eu gwthio trwy’r weiar, yn anffurfio’r llinellau syth yn ysgafn felly, pan fydd y golau yn curo trwy’r llen, mae’n atseinio tonnau bach ar ddŵr neu gymylau’n symud. Mae’n dryloyw ac mae modd gweld pobl ar yr ochr arall yn symud ar draws ei wyneb. Mae’r fflasgiau’n tywynnu fel neon, eu lliwiau’n canu wrth iddynt oleuo a phylu.

Tra bo’r effaith yn syml a phrydferth, tu ôl i’r olygfa, mae llawer o dechnoleg gymhleth ar waith. Gweithiodd Simon gyda pheirianwyr goleuo llwyfan a defnyddiodd dechneg dal fideo sy’n darllen data picsel o ddelwedd sy’n symud. Felly caiff tafell trwy fideo o gymylau neu donnau bach dŵr ei ddarllen fel switsys data bach sy’n diffodd a chynnau’r weiar, gan greu ymdeimlad o symud. Mae’n hudol ac nid oes angen deall y dechnoleg gymhleth tu ôl iddo er mwyn ei werthfawrogi.

Mae’r arddangosfa’n agor yn swyddogol ar ddydd Sadwrn 30 Ionawr 2010, 11am.

Bydd Simon yn cynnal dwy sesiwn taith-a-thrafodaeth o gwmpas yr arddangosfa ar ddydd Sadwrn 6 Mawrth am 11.30am a dydd Mercher 24 Mawrth am 2pm. Mae’r sesiynau hyn yn rhad ac am ddim ac mae croeso i bawb.

NODIADAU I OLYGYDDION:

Mae gan Amgueddfa ac Oriel Gelf Casnewydd ymroddiad i roi cyfle i’w chynulleidfa weld ychydig o’r gwaith mwyaf diddorol sy’n cael ei gyflawni yng Nghymru ac yn bellach i ffwrdd. Yn achos Simon, mae cysylltiad lleol hefyd. Astudiodd am ei radd yn y Celfyddydau Cain yng Ngholeg Celf Casnewydd (UWN) ac erbyn hyn mae’n ddarlithydd ymweld yno. Mae’r arddangosfa hon wedi galluogi’r genhedlaeth nesaf o artistiaid UWN weithio gyda Simon i ddatblygu’r sioe hon.

Mae gan Simon, a astudiodd am MA yn y Celfyddydau Cain yng Ngholeg Celf Caerdydd (UWIC), gefndir gwych mewn rheoli comisiynau celfyddydwaith cyhoeddus ar gyfer Cywaith Cymru . Artworks Wales a Celfwaith, ynghyd â chynhyrchu gwaith ar gyfer ei sioeau ef ei hun. Mae’n deall felly bod celfyddyd dim ond yn ddiddorol os yw’r gynulleidfa yn ei gael yn ddiddorol. Hoffai gyfleu’r ymdeimlad o ryfeddod y mae’n teimlo pan fydd yn gweld y potensial mewn rhywbeth cyffredin neu’n darganfod dyfeisgarwch technegol sy’n newid canfyddiadau pobl am y pethau cyffredin o’u cwmpas. Mae gan waith Simon hiwmor mwyn ac ymagwedd gydymdeimladol. Mae’n ein helpu i ail-werthuso’r pethau rydym yn eu cymryd yn ganiataol yn ein bywydau beunyddiol a’u gweld â llygaid ffres.

Ariennir yr arddangosfa ac Amgueddfa ac Oriel Gelf Casnewydd gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru.

Llinellau Llewyrchol
Arddangosfa olau sy’n benodol i’r golwg gan yr artist Simon Fenoulhet

AMGUEDDFA AC ORIEL GELF CASNEWYDD

Sgwâr John Frost, Casnewydd, De Cymru NP20 1PA, Ffôn (01633) 656656

30 Ionawr 2010 – 3 Ebrill 2010

MYNEDIAD AM DDIM

AMSERAU AGOR: Llun-Iau 9.30am - 5.00pm;
Gwener 9.30am - 4.30pm; Sadwrn 9.30am - 4.00pm

Cyfarwyddiadau: Am fanylion pellach ar sut i gyrraedd y lleoliad, ffoniwch 01633 656656 neu ewch i’n gwefan www.newport.gov.uk/artgallery