Martina Lantin: Passage

For her site-specific installation at BMAC, ceramic artist Martina Lantin turned her eye to the Union Railroad Station’s decorative period details, which over the years have been fractured and painted over. Focusing on the corridor between the former station’s waiting room and its parcel express area, Lantin chose to create a new passageway befitting a museum.

Working in collaboration with a skateboard ramp designer, she has given us a vaulted ceiling edged by period molding—some original and some a ceramic re-creation—and embellished it with rosettes. Lantin’s remarkable dexterity with clay and mastery of glazes fuse with BMAC’s historic public space, enriching our experience of history, place, and community.

– Mara Williams, Curator

Old buildings hold a history that is conveyed through layers of paint, renovation, and adaptation. Informed by recent changes in the design of the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, this project emphasizes the potential for a space that is often overlooked.

Ceramics is a mimic, taking on forms, textures, and qualities of almost any material. I exploit this plasticity to elaborate on a passageway that functions as the path from one part of the museum to another. Changes made to a space may be either noticed or assimilated into the background. Is this phenomenon based on the installation itself or on the awareness of the audience? I am interested in the difference between viewers’ conscious and subconscious appreciation of their surroundings.

– Martina Lantin

Martina Lantin’s work is supported by a Marlboro College Faculty Grant.

Special thanks to Brent Johnston, Avalon Johnston, Alex Tolstoi, Sophie Mueller, Ginger Wise, Michael Schneeweis, Cathy Osman, Rory Brennan, Jen Morris, and Sam Kelley.

RELATED EVENTS:
Opening Reception (7/15/11)
Four Eyes Artists’ Discussion & Exhibit Tour (11/17/11)

SEE ALSO:
Martina Lantin website