More Light!  Luftwerk x Aram Saroyan Exhibition Opening

Join us for a talk with Aram Saroyan and Luftwerk Studio principals Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero to celebrate the opening of the exhibition More Light!. The single word poem “lighght,” by Aram Saroyan, is the inspiration for Luftwerk’s site-specific installation at the Poetry Foundation. Saroyan describes his poem, a seminal work of minimalism, as operating like “electricity,” instant and continuous. Luftwerk’s immersive interpretation brings viewers inside an ever shifting prism of colored light, transforming the Poetry Foundation gallery into a dynamic lightbox. The opening will feature remarks by Bachmaier and Gallero  followed by a talk by Saroyan. The program will begin at 6 PM. Arrive early to view the installation.

The exhibition title “More Light” comes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s last words “mehr licht” on his deathbed and provides a historic reference to the minimal gesture of Saroyan. Throughout his life, Goethe had a deep fascination with the physical and metaphorical effects of light on humans. 

Light and color are the core elements in Luftwerk’s artistic practice. Their interest is in the power of light as a crucial element of vision, whose dynamic relationship to color perception is explored. Through the use of various modalities—“such as projection of videos, shadow casting, among others”—they integrate light into each project to explore its fleeting and changing nature.

The poem “lighght” was written by Saroyan in 1965 and first published in 1966. It became controversial after its inclusion in The American Literary Anthology, an early recipient of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding. The Paris Review issued the poem as part of its “Print Series” of limited edition art prints in 1989.

Program - 6-7pm 

Reception - 7-8Pm

Aram Saroyan is the author of Still Night in L.A.: A Detective Novel, as well as many other books of prose and poetry. He is featured in the documentary film One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur,and his comments appear in the oral biographies George Being George: George Plimpton’s Life and Salinger. In recent years he has worked primarily as an artist, with work featured in museums and galleries in America, Europe, India, and the Middle East, and in Los Angeles in one-man shows at the As-Is Gallery and the Francis Gallery. For the Hammer Museum’s Biennial, Made in L.A., Saroyan wrote the subtitle: a, the, though, only. His Complete Minimal Poems received a William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and is now available on Kindle.

Luftwerk: Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero are artists based in Chicago and the founding principles of Luftwerk Studio. Recent exhibitions of their work have been organized by the Chicago Botanic Garden Volume Gallery Chicago Cultural Center Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred University Cheekwood Estate & Gardens and Mattress Factory. They have also realized installation projects for significant architectural sites, including the Jay Pritzker Pavilion , Barcelona Pavilion, and Edith Farnsworth House. They are the recipients of numerous awards, including those from the AIA Chicago, Graham Foundation, and Illinois Arts Council.

This program is part of the Poetry Foundation’s fall 2024 season, Murmuring Americas. All Poetry Foundation events are completely free of charge and open to the public, though advanced registration is encouraged. The performance space is ADA compliant and wheelchair accessible, and the program will feature CART captioning and ASL interpretation. For more information about accessibility at the Poetry Foundation, please visit our Accessibility Guide.