Renowned Artists will be Featured in Special Live Artist Talk and Performance
The Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department is pleased to announce that an extraordinary array of photographic and video works by the nationally acclaimed creative team of Hillerband+Magsamen will be on display at Bailey Contemporary Arts Center through June 22, 2021. The exhibition is free to the public and is open for viewing by appointment only via the website. In addition, the duo will be taking part in a special live artist talk and interactive performance on June 9, 2021. This is a free event, but guests must register at PompanoBeachArts.org/Programs.
“The Devices Project is an intriguing exhibition that explores our relationship with everyday objects and how we use them to playfully survive and cope in a world of turmoil,” said Phyllis Korab, Cultural Affairs Director. “While there is much humor and absurdity on display, the collection also inspires a tremendous sense of connection and hope.”
Pulling from the literary concept of Homo Faber, that human beings are able to control their fate and their environment through tools, this work examines how a family of four tinkers with and animates banal items such as plastic bags, tape, yarn, aluminum foil, and other household materials in an attempt to connect to each other and the larger world while transforming space, place, person, and dwelling.
After experiencing the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, and the strong community support that arose, the artists began to think more about ways to prepare in cases of emergency and how this relates to our family and community. Based on that mindset, the duo has created a special 24-hour hotline for the event in Pompano Beach. People can call (954) 953-6568 when they visit the gallery for an interactive experience that highlights the relationship with the devices in our lives.
About Hillerbrand+Magsamen
The artistic team of Hillerbrand+Magsamen is the collaboration of Stephan Hillerbrand and Mary Magsamen. Together they create sculpture, installation, performance, video, and photographic works they call “Suburban Fluxus.” Often including their two children, Madeleine and Emmett, in their work the family critiques and playfully scrutinizes contemporary suburban life.
Hillerbrand+Magsamen have presented their videos in international film and media festivals including Houston Cinema Arts Festival, London SciFi Film Festival, WAND V Stuttgarter Filmwinter, New York Underground Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Boston Underground Film Festival, and MonkeyTown. Their cinematic based installations have been exhibited at the Everson Museum (Syracuse, NY), Center for Photography Woodstock (Woodstock, NY), Diffusion Photography Festival (Wales, UK), and Houston Center for Photography (Houston, Texas).
They have received grants from Sustainable Arts Foundation, Austin Film Society, Experimental Television Center, Ohio Arts Council, Houston Arts Alliance, and Houston Center for Photography. Their project Higher Ground was a commission from the Houston Airport System and received 1st prize from juror Richard Linklater in the CineSpace program at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival.
Hillerbrand+Magsamen have participated in residency programs including: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (New York, NY), Experimental Television Center (Owego, NY), Elsewhere (Greensboro, NC), and Santa Fe Art Institute (Santa Fe, NM). Stephan Hillerbrand is a recipient of two Fulbright Fellowships (Germany) and MacDowell Colony (Peterborough, NH) residency.
About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department
The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance, and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City’s premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City’s Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative. Bailey Contemporary Arts Center is located at 41 NE 1st St, Pompano Beach, FL 33060.
