how to breathe underwater - Gallery Exhibit

“On view in the BlackBox
20 April–19 May
Wed–Sat: Noon–6:00 PM
Sun: 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Appointments highly encouraged, book at https://www.blackrockcenter.org/visual-arts
Reception 20 Apr, 2:00–5:00 PM
Artist Talk with Mollye Bendell 20 Apr, 3:00 PM

For her new exhibition, how to breathe underwater, Baltimore-based interdisciplinary artist Mollye Bendell offers an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience documenting her encounters with the ghost fleet of the Potomac—a collection of roughly 200 sunken wooden steamships in Mallows Bay, Maryland. Guest-curated by Vincent Ruffini, the show uses VR, video, and a series of still images to capture the experience of venturing below the waves.

“Mollye collected underwater videos through multiple trips to Mallows Bay,” Ruffini explains, “then combined and processed them using 3-D modeling and editing software.” Currently a Curatorial Practice MFA (CP) candidate at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Ruffini was initially drawn to Bendell’s work via his interest in coastal studies: “The project is exciting because it is both a marine ecology project and also an expansion of access: It brings the experience of a secluded location to a broader audience in a gallery space.””