Looking Glass Gallery at Appalachian presents “Plane Paper”

Posted April 8, 2016 at 1:54 p.m.

BOONE—The Looking Glass Gallery in Appalachian State University’s Plemmons Student Union presents “Plane Paper,” an exhibition featuring work by Appalachian senior Joshua Bannen. The exhibition will be on view from April 8–22. There will be a reception held April 8 from 5:30–7 p.m. at the Looking Glass Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.

Bannen was born in South Africa and raised in Greenville, S.C. “Plane Paper” is his senior project for his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art. Bannen’s three-dimensional work is hung on the walls, making the viewer look all around the space to view his metal conglomeration of colored light and paper. “Plane Paper” features ever-changing colors, dazzling shadows and whimsical angles that protrude from the walls in irregular and beautiful ways. Numerous color-changing LED lights cast shadows on the walls and illuminate the piece.

“In my work I want to create positive experiences to share with the viewers. I create a space that is intended to guide my viewers to think about life and their own mortality,” Bannen said about “Plane Paper.”

Bannen is influenced by Zen painting, or Zenga, which was said to create powerful experiences that could be used to attain enlightenment. Bannen said he aimed to spark a sense of adventure and intrigue with “Plane Paper.”

“If a viewer has to sit down afterwards just to reflect on the work, it was a success and that is exactly how I want my work to function. I want it to astound, incapacitate and flabbergast,” Bannen said.

Bannen is an alumnus of University of North Carolina School of the Arts and will graduate from Appalachian in May with departmental honors. Inquiries about purchasing can be directed to him at bannenjd@appstate.edu.

About Looking Glass Gallery

The Looking Glass Gallery is located in Plemmons Student Union at 293 Locust St. on Appalachian State University’s campus. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–11 p.m. and Sunday noon–11 p.m. The Looking Glass Gallery’s goal is to exhibit, communicate and support the visual arts by offering students and the university the opportunity to become involved with and experience artwork produced at Appalachian.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.