An ‘OpenEnded Look At Techno Art
Everything depends on how to interpret the work, how art should be.
The new Techno Art Museum, filled with steampunk-inspired art, industrial designs and pieces depicting modern computers as a pervasive presence in our society, will open Saturday, October 7th at the Miner Building in downtown Eugene.
So what is techno art? Steve Larichia, a longtime New Zone gallery employee who moved to the Museum of Techno Art (MTA), laughs at the question.
"Everyone has their own point of view," he said. "It's kind of an open option."
These include functional works such as Farnsworth's Dilemma, which represents the themes of each decade of the 20th century; "The Wozniak Mystery," which combines an 1897 Remington typewriter and an early classic Mac computer; and Babbage Lovelace's The Mechanism is a must-see.
LaRiccia explained that the MTA began when fellow artist Glenn Smith visited more than a year ago and was captivated by the steampunk art in his home. "It's like a museum," Smith told La Riccia.
The MTA's goal is to display art with technological or industrial themes that reflect the history of human invention, retrofuturism, or the creative machines of the future.
Smith worked for the MTA, which he said was more modern, creating advanced computers to create art. The museum also features Eugene artists Barbora Bacalova and Max Rink, as well as Joe Mross of Eugene Archive Design. Also on display are two donated historical prints and a work based on the period of Paul Brown, the famous British pioneer of computer art.
The lease on the MTA Miner Building is only six months, with only three months remaining on the lease. Larichia said he hopes to eventually find a space for the new gallery downtown, similar to the space New Zone Gallery currently has.
The Museum of Techno Art, Eugene's newest exhibition space dedicated to technology-themed art, will be open Saturday, October 7, 1-5pm, Miner Building, 132 E. Broadway, Suite 212. Donations are welcome, donations are accepted. WELCOME. The museum is open every Friday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM or by appointment at 541-517-1488.
