CCC features ‘256 Shades of Grey’
BY DEBBIE FOX
The legacy of Kartz Ucci lives on, even
though she passed from this life on
Oct. 6,2013 at 52 years old. Clackamas
C om m unity College is keeping her
legacy alive w ith a show of her work
called “ 256 Shades of Grey” in th e
Niemeyer Gallery.
Ucci w as an instru cto r for digital
arts at the University of Oregon and
has m any followers of her work.
Kate Simmons, a CCC art instructor,
said, “Today, a lot of w ork is being
made digitally, and this is interesting
because past m ethods of art-m aking
have o ften left an artifact behind,
such as a p ain tin g , sc u lp tu re or
photograph.”
In Ucci’s case, her work is on hard
drives. As she has passed away, an
understanding of her work is required
to properly display it, with care taken
to th e preserve th e way she would
have exhibited it originally.
Karen Johnson, public inform ation
officer at th e U niversity of Oregon,
said about “ 256 Shades of Grey,” “The
piece involves a video projection
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of gray scale, sh iftin g h o rizo n tal
bars th a t Ucci created using highly
personal algorithm s. The projection
will disappear into the desert with the
a rtist’s intention being an epitaph:
a com bination of h u m a n survival
through the music, w ith hum an loss
portrayed as the light is absorbed into
the night. The piece is accompanied
with a sing-along of Jerry Garcia’s and
Robert H unter’s Grateful Dead piece
‘Touch of Grey’.”
M arylhurst University also has an
Ucci installatio n in th e ir gallery. A
M arylhurst press release said, “The
Art Gym will present the retrospective
exhibition Kartz Ucci-an opera for one
from Nov. 9,2015 to Dec. 11,2015. This
exhibition will celebrate her digital,
text, sound, and in stallatio n a r t.”
The “ 265 Shades” exhibit in the CCC
gallery was installed in conjunction
w ith the M arylhurst exhibit.
A dm ission is free of charge. This
art show is open to the public and any
interested parties are encouraged to
attend.