Brian Jobe, adjunct faculty member in Art at Pellissippi State Community College, stands inside his sculpture, “Turfside Passage.” Jobe is one of three artists featured in the Knoxville Museum of Art’s “Contemporary Focus 2011” exhibit, which runs through Nov. 6.
Imagine walking through a hallway lined with 12,500 zip ties. Yes, zip ties.
An exhibit on display until Nov. 6 at the Knoxville Museum of Art allows visitors to do more than imagine. The brightly colored, sense-laden “hallway” is the work of Brian R. Jobe, an adjunct faculty member in Art at Pellissippi State Community College. Jobe is one of three emerging talents showcased in KMA’s “Contemporary Focus 2011.”
Created for the Knoxville exhibit, Jobe’s “Turfside Passage” is an interactive sculpture shaped like a hallway, one lined with 14-inch yellow zip ties. The entire piece is 7 feet tall, 28 inches wide and 25 feet deep—leaving plenty of space for viewers to interact with the art rather than merely look at it. The 12,500 zip ties are attached to 2-by-2-foot pine posts. Unlike many pieces exhibited in galleries and museums, this one is made for a tactile experience.
“Repetition signals endlessness,” said Jobe of his creation. “The desire to move down pathways and passages is innate. ‘Turfside Passage’ is a project inspired by an interest in creating architectural spaces and a desire to engage the public in a physical, sensory experience. Viewers can choose to walk through the passage and allow the work to affect them.” Attendees also can see the 1:12 scale model of the sculpture that is on exhibit.
A viewer experiences Jobe’s “Turfside Passage” sculpture, featuring 12,500 zip ties.
Jobe, who received international coverage in Art in America magazine for a zip-tie sculpture he created for the 2009 Governors Island Art Fair in New York Harbor, N.Y., is pleased to participate in the KMA exhibit.
“I was invited to be a part of this exhibit by the KMA’s curators, Clark Gillespie and Stephen Wicks,” said Jobe. “They’ve been following my work, and I am honored and excited to participate in an exhibit that focuses on contemporary artists in East Tennessee.” This year marks the third installment of the annual exhibit. John Bissonette and Greg Pond are the other featured artists.
Jobe will be on hand for an Artist in Action workshop at KMA on Sept. 23, 1-4 p.m., during which he will give an artist’s talk and explain the planning and execution of “Turfside Passage.” The session is free and open to the public.
The Knoxville Museum of Art is located at 1050 World’s Fair Park Dr. For information on museum hours, visit www.knoxart.org or call (865) 525-6101.
Jobe, who graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and the University of Texas with a Master of Fine Arts, is teaching drawing, 3-D media and sculpture this semester at Pellissippi State. Students interested in registering for classes that Jobe will teach during the spring 2012 semester may do so after Nov. 14 by visiting www.pstcc.edu/admissions or calling (865) 694-6400.