Art as rarely experienced

“Plein-Air en Plein Air” brings California landscape painting back to the outdoors and presents a dynamic art experience in an unexpected setting. Images of artworks from the permanent collection of the UC Irvine Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art will be projected onto the exterior surfaces of buildings in the School of Social Sciences complex, transforming part of campus into an open-air gallery for two nights, April 12 and 13.

The commissioned installation is designed by Jesse Colin Jackson, associate professor of electronic art and design, associate dean of research and innovation, and executive director of the Beall Center for Art + Technology at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. “Plein-Air en Plein Air” (which means “outdoors in the outdoors” in French) situates two views in dialogue with one another: the present-day architecture and landscape of the campus and the now-historic California environs painted by artists in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Langson IMCA strives to make its collections available to broad and diverse populations through multifaceted programming that invites the participation of both campus and community audiences. “Plein-Air en Plein Air” builds on the curatorial activities of another project commissioned by Langson IMCA, “Beyond the Frame: Impressions of California,” created by the design studio Imaginary Places.

This immersive virtual presentation features images of the same 28 California impressionist paintings but sets them in a stylized digital landscape with associated artists’ biographies, literary and historical texts, archival images, and environmental sound elements. Together, these two very different projects work to catalyze curiosity and foster conversation about California art in the public realm.

The state’s characteristic light is a powerful presence in both of these commissioned installations that utilize digital technology. In “Beyond the Frame,” selected works are organized into virtual galleries that transition from dawn to night – an homage to the transient qualities of light that plein-air painters sought to capture. In “Plein-Air en Plein Air,” the light depicted in the artworks is juxtaposed against the light of the early evening and night sky.

Jackson has created an experience that unfolds over time – with the setting of the sun, projected images will gradually come vividly into view. Observers will be drawn around the exterior of the Social Science Hall and Social Science Lab buildings through a sequence of projections at multiple scales, generating an interplay among the projected paintings, the buildings’ surfaces, surrounding landscapes and ambient light, culminating in a visual crescendo overlooking Aldrich Park.

A creative collaboration at UC Irvine of Langson IMCA, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and the School of Social Sciences, the installation is made possible, in part, by support from the Traditional Fine Arts Organization.

“Plein-Air en Plein Air” is on view from 7 p.m. April 12 to 11:59 p.m. April 13 outside the campus’s Social Science Lab.

If you want to learn more about supporting this or other activities at UCI, please visit the Brilliant Future website. Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for UCI. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UCI seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://imca.uci.edu/support.