Metaphor on the Screen

GAMBIER, Ohio (May 18, 2005) Kenyon students have shown remarkable creativity in exploring the possibilities of video art. At a recent video art festival sponsored by the Great Lakes Colleges Association, seven Kenyon students submitted eight different pieces and virtually swept the competition. The festival, called "Pixels and Silver," was held at Depauw University.

Anissa Espinosa, Class of 2007, of Chicago, Illinois, tied for first place with "Tender Thing." According to Jeremy Jones, a judge for the competition, the piece had "not only gripping and original visuals, but was also technically sound, well-edited, and maintained an engaging narrative." He added: "We found the words and sentiments both beautiful and tragic. It felt very personally charged and terrifically powerful."

Garnering second place in the competition was Marisa Zupan-Ciccone, Class of 2006, of Middlebury, Vermont, for "Factories at Night." Jones called the work "simply an amazing piece of well-timed editing, rhythmic and captivating visuals, and excellently chosen sound."

Two Kenyon students tied for third place: Ryan Baier, Class of 2006, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, for "Bonding"; and Emily Robinson, Class of 2007, of Winnetka, Illinois, for "What am I/What are You?" Robinson also earned an honorable mention nod for "Turn Around." Other honorable mentions went to Katherine Skelly, Class of 2006, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, for "Animation"; Xiaocao Liu, Class of 2007, of Beijing, China, for "The Garden"; and Stephen DeSanto, Class of 2007, of Louisville, Kentucky, for "Hand That Takes."

"Our video art classes emphasize developing metaphors, responding to the editing process intuitively in the same responsive way that one would paint or draw," says Professor of Art Claudia Esslinger. "I think that this very visual approach, along with the communal history of poetry at Kenyon, leads to video art that stands out among student peers."

Jones agrees. "All of the pieces that we received from Kenyon students were visually stunning, so much so that it was difficult to choose the winners for each position."

View samples of student work submitted to the Pixels and Silver festival.