When seen in person, Georges Rousse's art looks like a tangled mass of detailed angles, sharp lines and color. When seen through a viewfinder set at a mathematically calculated point in relation to the art, it all makes sense to the eye.
This month, the famed French installation artist and photographer is working to transform the interiors of four abandoned buildings in downtown Durham.
Starting Friday, the public is invited to view the installations at the Baldwin Building and Liberty Warehouse. Next weekend, Bargain Furniture and the Chesterfield Building will also be open to general audiences.
Rousse uses complicated mathematics and geometry to create these indoor installations.
"He takes a three-dimensional space, alters it by painting, building and taking matter away and then he takes a photograph that makes it look like a two-dimensional plane," said Juliet Jensen, Trinity '88 and educational community outreach coordinator for the project. "It looks like he hung a transparent sheet over the space."
Rousse's visit to Durham was initiated by local couple Frank Konhaus, a photographer, and Ellen Cassilly, an architect. Cassilly recalled that when her husband first saw one of Rousse's works in a magazine he wondered what the big deal was.
"It was a picture of a building in Seoul, South Korea with a huge white spot over it," Cassilly said. "It just looked like he used Photoshop. Then we realized it was actually painted on."
After seeing Rousse's work live, the couple decided they wanted to bring him to Durham, Cassilly said. They thought downtown Durham was a perfect match for Rousse, who does most of his work in abandoned buildings slated for demolition or renovation.
Rousse's work is inextricably linked to Durham because the realization of the project is a direct result of the efforts of the local community.
"The project was not planned years in advance," said Caroleigh Robinson, a project-university liaison. "There was no grant money; the whole project was made possible by donations. Community members jumped in with passion and soul to deliver support, materials, energy and expertise to make Rousse's work known to the public and to engage the public."
The community continues to be involved with Rousse's project, with over 200 volunteers assisting the artist. Students of all ages from a variety of Durham schools and programs are painting, building, calculating and advertising for the installations. The education committee has also provided students with special learning experiences and docent led tours of the sites.
Jensen said she hopes to connect students from Duke and North Carolina Central University through documentary work and work as docents and site volunteers.
"Rousse's project already has mobilized and energized a significant portion of the Durham community, even before the project itself has actually been realized," William Noland, associate professor of the practice of visual arts, wrote in an e-mail. "The enthusiasm generated is a healthy boost to our city and its increasingly lively downtown scene."
The Baldwin Building and Liberty Building installations can be visited Friday, Sept. 16 as part of Culture Crawl and on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18 as part of CenterFest Arts Festival. All four sites will be open Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24.
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