To U students, the mention of the word ‘twilight’ most likely brings to mind summer concerts at Pioneer Park with packed crowds and empty Solo cups. However, last Thursday, at the opening of Amy Noorlander’s exhibit in the art department’s Alvin Gittin’s Gallery, the mention of twilight brought different imagery to the minds of a select few.
Noorlander’s exhibit, “I might have been a spirit,” revolves around the issues of generational memory and its effects on family — both conscious and unconscious. By linking her family history to the chaotic stories of Greek mythology, Noorlander shows that similarities between people are not always direct and structured, but often haphazard and fractured. To her, such links traverse into an unknowable dusky atmosphere of twilight.
This ambiance is recognized through her stunning works — works that encompass a fragile juxtaposition between the layering of physical characteristics, human anatomy and family history. Her compositions center around life-sized drawings of her family members, typically in colored pencil. Each drawing includes compelling scientific recreations of Noorlander’s relatives’ brains and bone structures. The works also contain snippets of stories from her family history.
“It’s a direct metaphor for what they are experiencing internally, emotionally and psychologically,” Noorlander said, when describing her use of memory and anatomy. “I put my ancestry and our history into the bones as a crossing over of generations.”
To Noorlander, family connection runs deeper than hereditary characteristics. In her illustrations, family ties are not only drawn by way of genetics, but, by way of memories. Noorlander hopes the message behind her creations reminds viewers that not everything known is visible and vice versa.
Noorlander’s drawings represent the culmination of two years at the U. “I might have been a spirit” is the thesis project for her master’s in fine art. Having previously attained a bachelor’s in fine art from BYU and a post-baccalaureate certificate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Noorlander returned to her hometown to study at the U and to be closer to family.
Her dedication to family is obvious in her artwork and at the exhibit’s opening, which featured live music from her brother’s band, Coral Bones — an interest in calcium apparently runs in the family. The event also provided food served by Noorlander’s relatives. With small children and chatty adults gazing at her creations, it was easy to see why her thoughts drift toward the familial — even if the typical family portrait skips oozing brains and memory engraved bones.
Competing with the contending notions of twilight, Noorlander’s opening — with its comfortable atmosphere, engaging works, free food and live music — held its own against the swarms of people getting rained on in Pioneer Park during Kid Cudi. Focusing on family and history, “I might have been a spirit” crafts a new twilight sewn together with thought-provoking phrases and eye-catching drawings.
Running through Sept. 6 on the first floor of the Art Building, this exhibition highlights a deeper understanding of the gray areas marking human knowledge and its accumulation. Looking at these works, one cannot help but think of their own family and how their family’s collective memory has affected them. Stepping into Noorlander’s exhibition, one is reminded that not everything is simple or linear in the U’s temporary twilight zone.