About the Artist

Claude Zervas is a dual citizen (French and American). He was born in Deming in 1963, a city along the Nooksack River which is about a 25-minute drive from Bellingham, Washington. Before moving to Paris in the 1980’s, he attended Western Washington University for a geology course when he was ten years old and then attended courses for the arts and music in his later years. After pursuing a career in software engineer, he then rerouted back to his art practice and incorporated his knowledge of technology into his art pieces. He now lives and works in Seattle, Washington.

 

Middle Fork

Display Location: Performing Arts Center, Western Washington University

The Nooksack river piece Middle Fork depicts the bends of the river by using four individual screens in 10 second intervals to show the movement of the waters natural current. The piece took almost three years to complete according to Paul Brower, WWU’s Museum Preservation Specialist.

 

 

He finished three of the frameworks for Middle Fork in 2015, but fully completed the fourth one in 2016.  When talking about visiting the Nooksack river, Zervas mentioned that, “because of the change I see in it every time I come back to visit, there’s a little bit of sadness involved in it”. Zervas could have been trying to evoke the same feeling in his viewers.

“Because of the change I see in it every time I come back to visit, there’s a little bit of sadness involved in it”.

In order to create the seamless appearance, “Middle Fork” required drone footage which was shot in the same lighting conditions, a bright sunny day. By 2016, Claude was able to capture the final drone footage for the 4th screen. According to a video on Vimeo, the making of the piece, Zervas says he hiked to each section of the river, and had to make 8 or 9 trips to get the footage needed for the piece.

 

Background on Drone Technology

From the late 2010’s to present, drone technology has become a widespread viable option to the general public for photography and recreational use. Drones are of great interest to modern society as they are currently used in military operations and are expected to be used by companies like Amazon for delivering consumer goods. Additionally, drones are able to allow a cost effective means of getting “bird’s eye” footage and have stirred privacy and security concerns. Nevertheless, drones are wildly popular, and will continue to affect society as we progress into the age of technology.  “According to the FAA’s newest estimates, we can expect about 7 million drones to ship to the U.S. by 2020.”

Integral to the piece is a notion of technology and nature fused together. It is an interesting contrast because the subject of the work is nature but only through technology is the piece possible. The view of the world from that height is not really attainable without aircraft, and for the budget of the piece (approx. 38,000$) it is doubtful that this piece would be financially viable if a helicopter was used, as it would be far too expensive for 8 or 9 trips. Therefore, the fact that a drone captured the footage and LCD monitors display a multimedia video speaks to the modernity of the piece.

With the rise of technology since the 2000s and the invention of the personal computer and later the smartphone, modern life has been increasingly centered on screens. The rapidly evolving technological landscape means people possess multiple screens in the form of smart phones, tablets, projectors and mobile computers which bring them information constantly. The endless possibilities of these technologies have led the modern person to be almost constantly in front

The medium of Zervas’s work mimics this trend of modern life with the use of LCD screens, however the subject matter diverges. Instead of the graphical interface or advertising that we’re used to seeing within a screen, Claude’s work simply showcases nature. It serves as a reminder to us about living beyond a screen. In a way, he is using technology to speak against the absolutism of technology.

 

Other Works

Claude recently had exhibitions at Greg Kucera Gallery in 2014 which presented his works on paper . The James Harris Gallery in also featured his prints and sculptures in 2011. These pieces included brightly illuminated light sculpture installations with a focus on nature (Nooksack). Much like his illuminated sculpture Skagit that was on display in the Western Washington University art gallery in 2016. He used fluorescent lamps and electrical components that highlighted the natural geological bend of the Skagit River. He employed the same technique for Nooksack.

 

Nooksack, 2005
Ccfl lamps, high-flex wire, inverters, steel,
216 x 108 x 40 inches

 

Skagit, 2005
Green ccfl lamps, high-flex wire, inverters, steel,
70 x 65 x 60 inches
Works Cited

“At Ambach & Rice: Seattle’s Gang of Four.” Another Bouncing Ball. N.p., 21 Sept. 2009. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Bikmanmbikman@bhamherald.com, Margaret. “New Public Art by Claude Zervas at WWU.” Bellinghamherald. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Brower, Paul. Personal Interview. 19 Apr. 2017. TS.

“CascadiaWeekly.” Cascadia Weekly: Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Claude Zervas | Greg Kucera Gallery | Seattle. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Claude Zervas. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2017.

Director, Karen Hanan Executive, and Washington State Arts Commissio. 2016 Art in Public Places Annual Legislative Report (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

Fliphtml5.com. “FY 2016 Annual Report_3-13-17.” FY 2016 Annual Report_3-13-17 Pages 1 – 22 – Text Version | FlipHTML5. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

“Glacier Time.” WESTERN GALLERY. N.p., 03 Dec. 1970. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Murison, Malek. “FAA Report: Consumer Drone Market to Double by 2020.” DRONELIFE. N.p., 26 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

“Nooksack Artist, Claude Zervas Final 5/16.” Vimeo. N.p., 24 Apr. 2017. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

 

Ryan Moorleghen – Chief Photographer

Sheralea, Bumgarner – Write up Historian

Jacob Reinke – Sound Audio Engineer