Mariniana: The Interrupted Wave

Exhibition on view:
November 21, 2024 - February 9, 2025

Artists:
Karen LaFleur
Renata Janiszewska

Location:
Cape Cod Museum of Art
60 Hope Ln
Dennis, MA

*Mariniana: The Interrupted Wave Explores Oceanic Mysteries*

The exhibition Mariniana: The Interrupted Wave presents a mesmerizing fusion of myth and science, brought to life by Techspressionist artists Karen LaFleur and Renata Janiszewska. Together, they dive deep into the enigmatic world of the ocean, using moving images to highlight the vast mysteries beneath the waves.

The exhibition explores the concept of the “interrupt” — a signal that forces a pause in computer processes for the system to reevaluate its next steps. This idea is cleverly applied to the ocean, where pauses and unknowns abound, inviting reflection and further exploration.

Karen LaFleur’s works are rooted in contemporary oceanographic studies, collaborating with Lukas Taenzer, a scientist from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, through the Rhode Island Art League Synergy Program. Her pieces in Mariniana visually interpret the mixing of coastal and open ocean waters, following changes in temperature, salinity, and currents.

Through her digital animations, LaFleur presents intricate ecosystems and oceanic flows, creating a trilogy of works that takes viewers on a journey from the ocean’s depths to its surface and across the global conveyor belt of currents that sustain life on Earth.

Her collaboration with Taenzer allows science and art to intersect. By blending Taenzer’s research on ocean dynamics with her visual creations, LaFleur enhances both the scientific and artistic understanding of how water bodies interact. Her visual interpretations bring a tangible element to Taenzer’s complex studies, bridging the gap between data and imagination.

Renata Janiszewska, on the other hand, dives into the mythological aspects of the ocean, reflecting humanity’s historical fascination with the sea’s mysteries. Drawing inspiration from stories like Inuit legends of Sedna, the Sirens of Greek and Roman mythology, and other maritime narratives, Janiszewska’s works evoke the eerie beauty of the unknown.

Janiszewska’s moving images are filled with curious movements, rich colors, and sounds that echo the myths and superstitions of early seafaring cultures. Her art explores the ocean’s darker side — its capacity to lure, enchant, and destroy.

Janiszewska’s mythological lens serves as a powerful counterpoint to LaFleur’s scientific approach, reminding us of the cultural narratives that have historically shaped our understanding of the ocean.

Together, LaFleur and Janiszewska offer a multi-dimensional view of the ocean — one informed by both empirical data and human imagination. The exhibition not only emphasizes the scientific marvels of oceanography but also the emotional and cultural significance of the sea in human history. This collaboration between art and science invites audiences to pause, reflect, and decide what the ocean means to them.

The exhibition includes original music compositions by Nancy Tucker, whose rhythmic soundscapes blend with the visuals, enhancing the atmosphere of both scientific curiosity and mythological wonder.

Mariniana: The Interrupted Wave is an experience that prompts viewers to reconsider the ocean’s place in both our world and our stories. Through LaFleur’s visual interpretations of scientific data and Janiszewska’s mythological explorations, the Techspressionist exhibition shines a light on the mysteries of the ocean, urging us to pause and consider what lies beneath the waves.

About the Artists

Karen LaFleur is a Techspressionist moving image artist. Her artwork explores the interplay between interior and exterior worlds with a focus on adaptability. For the exhibition Mariniana, LaFleur creates a trilogy of moving image works that imagine the connections between ocean waterbodies. Part one envisions a vertical water column, part two looks at eddies along water boundaries, and part three is a bird-eye view of our global ocean current system. In collaboration with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist Lukas Taenzer, through the Rhode Island Art League Synergy Project, LaFleur fills her moving image works with invented sea-creatures and swirling water movements. She imagines Taenzer’s scientific studies in how the coastal and open ocean intermingle and mix with one another by following ocean salinity, temperature, and current signals. Karen LaFleur lives on Cape Cod, MA.

Renata Janiszewska, a Canadian multidisciplinary artist, brings her luminous digital paintings to life in Mariniana: The Interrupted Wave. She also composes and performs all of her soundtracks. Her moving image works serve as visual representations of ocean mythology, and also engage viewers in an emotional and intellectual dialogue about the ocean’s power and mystery. These works not only embody the principles of Techspressionism, but can also be said to influence its advancement and growth as an artistic approach. Janiszewska lives in Lion’s Head, Canada.

Read our interview with Renata Janiszewska to learn more about her art, creative process, and inspirations.

Visit the exhibition through February 9, 2025 at Cape Cod Museum of Art and let us know your thoughts!