Dennis Summers, Diffuse Nebula

Dennis Summers
Diffuse Nebula
2023
Civic Plaza Screen
1 Civic Plaza
Albuquerque, NM 87102

Diffuse Nebula is a video commissioned by the City of Albuquerque Public Art Program for the Civic Plaza Screen. It is an 18 minute long video that plays on a seamless loop. Diffuse Nebula is part of Summers' The Fusion video series. 

The Fusion video series is the third in a series of computer generated abstract color videos. The first two were The Phase Shift and Interference Videos in 2007. Although those were inspired by musical composers, at this point Dennis has allowed himself independent creative freedom. That said, they share many things in common with the earlier works. Patterns of color are digitally generated and cycle through all the hues of the spectrum, and blend and oppose in unpredictable ways. They generally seamlessly loop and are usually 20 minutes long. The videos from this series vary by the shapes, arrangements of shapes, color patterns and level of complexity, but at the basic level the generative system remains the same. Like many time based experiences each one of these pieces tells a different "story." One can achieve a wide range of visual and temporal possibilities within this seemingly restricted process.

The pieces in all the series can be experienced on different levels. They are visually quite beautiful, and set up an ever changing pattern of interesting color relationships. Additionally, like abstract art in general, their interpretation is open to the viewer’s discretion. And finally, for many they create an absorbing meditative experience. Because they are always projected larger than human scale, the experience becomes physiological and interactive. Some viewers will use their cast shadow to “play” with the videos; others sit quietly, their breathing coming into sync with the visual oscillations. One critic described these award winning videos as “light works that morph, actualize themselves in time, engage and animate our perceptions in ways for which we’re only marginally prepared.”

Dennis Summers has exhibited artwork in a wide range of genres and media internationally for over 35 years (www.stage2001.com). For about half that time he created multi-media installations, and then moved into digital media. In 1995 he instituted the digital animation program for The College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. His artists books, videos and interactive digital projects are in the collections of several major museums including the MOMA, Pompidou Center, and the International Dada Archive. One of his abstract “color field” Phase Shift videos was a purchase prize winner in the Spanish Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo, 2006. They have been presented in a Russian airport; in museums and galleries throughout the world, and have been commissioned for large outdoor public presentations. Most recently he has been commissioned to create three new Phase Shift/Interference style videos by the City of Albuquerque Public Art Program for 2 outdoor video screens (Civic Plaza and Convention Center) and one indoor one (International District Public Library on Central Ave). Much of his artwork has been crafted using collage strategies. This includes his current series of short, dense, digitally created collaged videos inspired by artists and scientists called Slow Light Shadow Matter. He has written three articles about his artwork for the Leonardo Journal, and has given conference presentations on collage theory and application since 2012. In 2016 his analysis of collage was included as a chapter in Knowledge Visualization and Visual Literacy in Science Education (IGI Global). In 2021 his article on collage theory and the posthuman was published in The Journal of Posthumanism.