“I’m currently working on multiple projects in my studio, but one that is particularly special to me is my upcoming exhibition: The Only Thing That’s the End of the World is the End of the World. This multi-year, collaborative project investigates the connections between sound, light, motion, and emotion. This immersive installation will consist of a cluster of hundreds of rotating, fragmented mirrored spheres suspended in the center of a darkened interior exhibition space. The cluster of spheres will be lit by a series of spotlights programmed to respond to orchestral music, fluctuating in brightness to the ebb and flow of the compositions. For the musical components of the artwork, I am collaborating with the brilliant composer, Sam Wu, whose musical works are complex, hauntingly beautiful instrumental compositions. At times the installation will be so dazzling that it will be hard to look at, while at others it will practically disappear into the darkness. Initially, the work was a direct reaction to the current political climate, and elements of racism, xenophobia, and polarization within our culture. Since the pandemic, the work has taken on additional meaning to me, becoming a monument to the vast human trauma caused by the Covid-19 crisis. The project will be premiered at Merrimack College (the institution at which I teach) when it’s safe to resume large social gatherings.”
Jonathan Latiano
February, 2021