About “Cutting Edge Technology”
“Cutting Edge Technology” is inspired by the work being done by Dr. Rachel Bezanson and her grad students who study early galaxies. A core component of their research is the concept of redshift, a visual method of determining the distance and age of galaxies, where a darker red indicates a further and more ancient galaxy. Made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) infrared detectors/ NIR spectroscopy, researchers are able to see the light of selected galaxies from the dawn of the universe. Inspired by scientists’ ability to see into not only space, but time itself, with increasingly complex technological tools and data collection methods, “Cutting Edge Technology,” looks back at what brought us to this point. What does it mean to see time, and how might we categorize human history in the same light? The Renaissance and following Baroque periods are often considered shining gems of the movement toward renewed scientific discovery and inspiration for the West and mark an excellent point of reference for the progression of human scientific imagination and study. Like selecting one bright galaxy out of hundreds to investigate, “Cutting Edge Technology” looks backwards to the discoveries coming out of those specific moments in human history; with Copernicus in the late 15th and early 16th century and Galileo in the 18th century, great strides were made in the study of astronomy. These ideas are represented by 16th-18th century astrological tools tucked away in a secluded alcove surrounded by an infinite white expanse of space. The more we realize just how far we’ve come, the more we learn that there is much left to discover.
Sarah (Avery) Schoenberger is an emerging queer artist pursuing a double major in studio arts and classics. Born to a family of engineers and mathematicians, and growing up surrounded by science, they apply academic, research-based, creativity to their artwork. In Avery’s recent series, “Queer Antiquity: Understanding the Gendered Human Experience Through Art,” they dig deep, beyond what we think we know, to unearth a whirlwind of experiences, history, emotions, people, and voices that meld to create something oddly familiar yet entirely new. They see classical antiquity as an inroad to reopening discussion on what it means for gender nonconformity to have always existed in human society and use it to bring to life identity and emotion, giving them form and face, and allowing them to tell their own stories from the canvas. Heavily inspired by late Renaissance and Baroque art from a young age, Avery creates layered and detailed realistic oil paintings and illustrations, utilizing striking highlights and inky shadows to rethink what painting and classics can be used for, what their place in its history is, whose stories are told, and why.