Presidio to Host Transforming Art

Presidio of San Francisco (January 16, 2008) — The Presidio is proud to announce that it will host the exhibition Transforming Art: the Art of Chris Hardman at the Presidio Officers’ Club Exhibition Hall from January 23 to May 4, 2008. The free exhibition will be open Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 am to 5 pm. The Presidio Officers’ Club is located at 50 Moraga Boulevard.

“We are pleased to be hosting Transforming Art at the Presidio,” said Craig Middleton, Presidio Trust Executive Director. “We invite everyone to come see this thought-provoking art installation, which transforms the Officers’ Club exhibition space.”

This is Chris Hardman’s first major multi-gallery installation of sculptural and theatrical ideas, which he developed while creating his performance pieces with Antenna Theater of Sausalito, California. Hardman’s work investigates how our minds alter the visual information we receive. The sculptural elements fuse light, reflection and shift from two to three dimensions in colorful, immersive environments. A theatrical audio walk narrated by Hardman is available for $5 per person.

“Transforming Art presents art forms that introduce visual clues which reveal how our mind transforms information to create our view of the world,” explained Hardman. “We are all active participants in seeing the world around us; we are not just passive observers. I want us to notice how we actually experience the world. With this information, we may begin to rethink our relationship to our surroundings and events.”

Hardman, founder of Antenna Theater, is known for creating art installations that engage the viewer’s participation through touch, sight and sound. Past works have combined cutting-edge audio technology with interview-driven sound designs, puppetry, masked movement, 3-D projections, sensor-tripped animation, sculptural objects, features of the natural landscape, and pre-fabricated environments. Additional photos and the artist’s bio are available upon request.

The Presidio Trust will host two related events at the Officers’ Club:

An Evening with the Artist: Chris Hardman
Wednesday, January 30, 2008, 7- 8 pm

The Eye and the Brain: The Latest Science
Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 7- 8 pm
Dr. Julie Schnapf, UCSF, Department of Ophthalmology

For further information, please call the Presidio Events Line: (415) 561-5500

The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to manage the Presidio of San Francisco, a former army base located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The 1,500-acre site contains the infrastructure of a small city as well as expansive open space, a 300-acre historic forest, spectacular views, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. It comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District, making it unlike any other national park. In establishing the Trust, Congress mandated that it make the park financially self-sufficient by 2013. The Trust is the only federal agency with this mandate.

Antenna Theater of Sausalito is a non-profit arts organization which produces original work in many disciplines. Artistic Director Chris Hardman founded Antenna in 1980 to experiment with sound, sculpture, and live performance. Antenna’s work has been presented at the Smithsonian Institution, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Spoleto Festival, the Cervantino Festival in Mexico, and the Roundhouse in London. In addition, Antenna Theater has brought their unique combination of sound, image, and movement to adventurous Bay Area audiences in surprising settings–recycling centers, high schools, Army barracks, the desert playa at Burning Man, and the Pacific Ocean’s edge. Antenna has been invited to present its interactive piece, “Euphorium” in 2008-2009 in Berlin, Germany.