Jonathan Cammisa and Jonah Birns, DEAD OF THE LIVING NIGHT
DEAD OF THE LIVING NIGHT comes from the participating artists’ like-minded fascination-turned-obsession with childhood fantasies and fears; the inability to look away when you know you should, combined with the desire to stay up all night and fantasize about the greatest adventures and abilities only imaginable. The exhibition examines one generation’s memories through an observation of imagery that fueled their childhoods, the bizarre nuances and esoteric references. From this period, new imagery has been created from manipulated found photos and juxtapositions of movie stills, clippings and gore magazine art. The show features two video installations, sculpture, collaged poster images, and four volumes of a book of the same name, Dead Of The Living Night. The collaborative book project acts as a depository of images, photos, original drawings and found items and ephemera. The name itself sets a tone of horror, science fiction, tongue and cheek and the arcane which will be a common thread throughout each of the books issues.
The multimedia installation is housed inside a monolithic black room. Inside, viewers will snake through a horror/sci-fi section of a video store pays homage to the filmic origins that drew the artists in and planted a lifetime pre-occupation with creepy, horrific, uncanny and humorous images. Original VHS tapes line the walls in the dark, cramped space recreating the lost experience of a video store. In the adjoining room an interactive “magic beast” ride allows people the fantasy of flying on the back of a giant creature, being taken through the sky, then to space and beyond. Outside, an old TV set sits atop a stack of life-sized monster corpses playing a video cut from clips of sci-fi and horror films where high-speed editing and tongue-and-cheek cuts splices together the gore and terror and assaults to the point of absurdity. Lining the gallery walls hang poster size images created from pieces in the books.
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Jonathan Cammisab. 1980 Philadelphia PA
Jonathan lives and works in Brooklyn. BFA, The School of Visual Arts, 2003. Currently working as a freelance graphic artist and designer. Clients include: MTV. Mark Gonzales/Krooked Skateboards. 411 Video Magazine. Generra. Fader Magazine. Sweden Unlimited. Urban Arts Research & Marketing (UARM). Featured artist: Arkitip Magazine. MTV. Beams Japan. Carhartt Japan. Tank Theory. Modern Amusement. Monument Snowboards. Element Skateboards.
Jonah Birnsb. 1979 Philadelphia PA
Jonah Birns graduated from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts with a BFA in 2002, and has since lived and worked in New York City. Primarily focusing on photography and graphic design, he has worked with some of New York’s top design, film and fashion companies. The artwork he creates is heavily influenced by films, books, and comics specifically in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. His work has recently appeared at The Nexus gallery in Philadelphia, the WORK Gallery in Brooklyn and in the award-winning documentary In A Dream.
Jonah Birns and Jonathan Cammisa have been friends for almost 20 years and collaborated on numerous projects, this is their first show together.
