Pendleton Artist of the Month to exhibit stunningly dynamic 'Sonos Lumia: Perception'

CINCINNATI, OHIO - The audio-visual art installation “Sonos Lumia: Perception” is an interdisciplinary collaboration between acclaimed artists Mary Barr Rhodes, Ionne, and Benjamin Britton. Set to show at Cincinnati’s Pendleton Art Center, it is the first phase of a larger work in progress, collectively titled “Sonos Lumia”—an avant-garde fusion of electronic music, mixed media painting, and projection design that explores humanity's relationship with light.

The first part of the work, “Sonos Lumia: Perception,” will be shown during the October Final Friday event at the Pendleton Art Center which celebrates the works of a multitude of artists. Rhodes and Britton reside in the Greater Cincinnati area, while Ionne, whose real name is Maurice Harris, is a former Cincinnati resident who today resides in New Haven, Conn. “Sonos Lumia: Perception” will be presented in the 8th Floor Gallery as part of Rhodes’s Artist of the Month exhibit. The exhibit will be open at the Pendleton Art Center, 1310 Pendleton Street, from 5-9pm on October 28. Private showings are available by appointment.

“Sonos Lumia: Perception” is a 16-minute multimedia experience consisting of a series of four electronic movements—songs written, performed, and produced by Ionne to create an intense sonic soundscape. The glassworks of Mary Barr Rhodes served as the foundation and inspiration for a series of original compositions. Original musical compositions and lyrics were created Ionne. The physical paintings are photographed and reconstructed over the music as living, moving projections by projection artist Benjamin Britton. The work debuted on August 27 at PAR-Projects “Jam!” exhibition.

About Mary Barr Rhodes

Rhodes’s abstracts teeter on being and not being. She goes beyond ordinary consciousness to the vastness of spirit that seems to be her native land. She creates a sense of mystery, and yet, an ever present eternal quality. Through her use of metallics, you can sense an organic energy that is tied to the universe. Her liminal work moves out of the subject-object abyss where she removes all hints of representation. She creates holistic, unified fields of light that resonate with spiritual dimensions of harmony and unity that is in all time and places. Her work resonates as pure light. Each artwork transmits a stream of consciousness and light energy. Electromagnetic energy is created as glass is juxtaposed to create pockets of energy. In viewing, you move beyond your analytical mind to a state of sensing and feeling and therefore your brain changes into a more coherent balanced state. No longer does she create from duality. She activates the heart center ad invites you to turn your heart into an instrument of perception, and when you do, it knows. You move into an elegant moment of pure consciousness. Rhodes received an MA in art with a focus on mixed media. Rhodes is represented in numerous private and corporate collections, as well as multiple galleries throughout the nation. She works and resides in Cincinnati, OH. You can visit Rhodes at the Pendleton Art Center, Studio #712. https://marybarrrhodes.com

About Ionne

With a music career beginning in the 1990s, Ionne has written music for daytime television and MTV. Over the years, he has worked with EMI Records, Atlantic Records, Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, V2 Records, and Hollywood Records on projects for Grace Jones, Pocket Size, Blessid Union of Souls, and LaKiesha Berri, to name just a few. He has produced numerous independent releases, including early solo works on Cincinnati's former Clubhead Records imprint under the moniker Que and with actor-singer Jennifer Fouché. Ionne is currently a creator at Midnight Oil Collective; director of marketing and communications at Yale Schwarzman Center, Yale University's Center for student life and the arts; and co-founder at 5015 Records with his brother, Grammy-nominated guitarist Rod Harris, Jr. Ionne, whose real name is Maurice L. Harris, is a PhD graduate of Cincinnati-based Union Institute & University with a major in Ethical & Creative Leadership. He leverages music for positive social change as an outgrowth of his research and lived experience. https://ionne.com

About Benjamin Britton

Benjamin Britton is an electronic artist who grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and lives in the American Midwest. He received his MA from the Goddard Graduate School at Vermont College, and his MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. He has exhibited his work in the New Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston), Contemporary Art Center (Cincinnati), Ars Electronica Museum (Linz, Austria), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), The Getty Museum, American Film Institute and Epcot Center in Florida. Britton recently completed an immersive touchscreen gallery installation about the ancient Greek site of Delphi, he is working on an interactive multimedia project called Observatory, exploring the story of the zodiac, and studying multiuser Web3.0, immersive video architecture, VR, and AR. https://benbritton.net/

About the Pendleton Art Center

Purchased in 1990 by the Verdin family, the eight story PAC warehouse now houses more than 200 artist of various mediums. PAC also includes adjacent buildings including the 510 Gallery Studios, Café Studios, and Annex Building Studios. Known for monthly open studio walks called “Final Fridays,” guests can see hundreds of artist studios and buy work directly from artists during these events. https://pendletonartcenter.com