Penn College gallery unveils first multimedia exhibit on screens

Published 01.23.2023

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Transcending the limitations of the photographic medium, John Singletary creates multidisciplinary installation experiences. His work graces The Gallery at Penn College through March 22.

Singletary’s “Through Lines/Fault Lines” is the first exhibition of multimedia work on screens in the gallery’s history. Located on the third floor of The Madigan Library at Pennsylvania College of Technology, the gallery is in its 17th season.

The exhibition includes two installations: “Traces” and “Anahata.”



John Singletary’s “Providence,” right detail of a six-panel organic ultraviolet light installation, photographic imagery on a 5:00 video loop.“John’s new series, ‘Traces,’ was created specifically for his solo exhibition in The Gallery at Penn College,” said Penny Griffin Lutz, gallery director. “Visitors will be immersed in an audiovisual experience that explores culture, beliefs and the human connection.”

“Traces” uses video, digital and stop-motion animation, historical footage, and audio. “Anahata” is photography-based and presented as an immersive installation on organic LED electronic canvases.

An artist talk is set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, in the gallery. Admission to the talk and the gallery is free and open to the public.

A photographer and multimedia artist based in Philadelphia, Singletary received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from The University of the Arts. His work has been collected by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Center for Fine Art Photography, as well as other institutional and private collections.

The artist says the imagery and vignettes in “Traces,” an ongoing multimedia work, depict “the extraordinary light and darkness in the human condition and life events such as the genesis of our existence and the purpose we serve to each other and ourselves.”

The audio component of the installation consists of a series of anonymously conducted interviews with a range of participants. The perspectives highlighted reveal the universality and individuality of values, the intersectionality of symbolism across cultures and lineages, and the perpetual cycles of life.

“Surveying the myriad and disjointed experiences that make up a life, ‘Traces’ explores the way we construct our internal narratives and create meaning from experience,” Singletary said.

“Anahata” explores human relationships and their connection to the divine. Choreographed movement was captured with an open-spectrum camera in a purpose-built, ultraviolet light studio where dancers performed in handcrafted costumes. The resulting dreamlike images are steeped in archetypal symbolism, mythology and mysticism.

A long-term collaboration with dancers, costume designers, makeup artists, choreographers and other artists, “Anahata” unveils a “frenetic tribe” that feels of another place and time.

The Gallery at Penn College is open 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays and Saturdays and will also be closed March 5-12 during Spring Break.)

Serving as a cultural asset to the college and local communities, The Gallery at Penn College provides the opportunity for the appreciation and exploration of contemporary art and encourages critical thinking and meaningful experiences.

For more about the gallery, email or call 570-320-2445.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.