Of Silver and Steel explores the aesthetic of mechanical
and industrial creation through photographs and sculpture. Inspired
by "industrial archaeology and landscape," Ferrario and Martin
have created an exhibition that "allows the viewer to witness
the metamorphosis of reality that is often perceived as ominous,
aggressive and dirty into visual into visual solutions which are
joyful and elegant."
Paolo Ferrario's imagery, culled from factory interiors
or industrial wastelands, offers "evidence of a past that has
shed its glory." Her photographs hint at a "quasi-sentimental
narrative which emphasizes the sense of awe created by these dilapidated
monuments of America's industrial past."
Ferrario has shown her photographs in galleries and museums across
the country, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. She teaches photography
at RI College in Providence.
William Martin uses the language of machinery to make sculptures,
which are themselves, functionless machines. A master craftsman,
Martin combines wood and steel components to create intriguing
forms that rely on simple and antiquated technologies. In his
work," craftsmanship, scale, and materials are used in a way that
give the viewer a sense of believability, inviting and defying
them to imagine the object's purpose." Martin has shown his work
extensively and is a recipient of the Blanche E. Coleman Grant.
He is an Associate Professor of sculpture at Rhode Island College
in Providence.
