Transfigurations Conceptual Art DVD by Melissa & Steve Kornicki

Conceptual Video Art by Melissa and Steve Kornicki

Transfigurations is a 50-minute piece of conceptual video art combining photgraphs of natural objects and
landscapes that very gradually morph into surreal, digitally manipulated and artistically transformed
images of the same photographs accompanied by an original, ambient music score. The piece exists as a
DVD for installation presentation or for home viewing. In essence, the piece, on both visual and auditory
levels, alternates between what we perceive as real and the realm of abstraction.

Exhibitions & Radio:
-soundtrack for Transfigurations was included in the "most significant releases of 2006" list by
WXPN-FM's ambient music radio program, Star's End.

-soundtrack featured as March 2006 Significant Releases/Top 20 on Star's End (WXPN-FM, Philadelphia)

-"New Space" - Sweetwater Center for the Arts - installation/exhibition (Sewickley, PA)

-"Collective Dreaming" - ArtSpace 303 - installation/exhibition (Homestead, PA)

-Music soundtrack featured on WXPN-FM - Star's End Ambient Radio (Philadelphia, PA)

-Dowe's on 9th Street (jazz club) - exhibition (Pittsburgh, PA)

Press:
More than 25 pieces of art will be showcased at Sewickley's Sweetwater Center for the Arts (Brand New)
Space exhibition which explores the vast and endless translations of the idea of "space." At the opening
reception Friday, Melissa and Steve Kornicki of Pittsburgh will present their video art,
" Transfigurations" on a large screen. The 50-minute video consists of Melissa's digital photographs and
manipulations of the sky, waterfalls and other natural landscapes accompanied by music composed by Steve.
" I'm really happy and excited to be part of the show," Steve Kornicki said. "I've been to the space before it
was redone. The new space will be a good venue to showcase our piece." Speakers are built into the
ceiling, allowing guests to hear the video music as they view the artwork. "The music will help set the
mood for the show," Kornicki said. - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, January 2006

An art exhibition at Sweetwater Center of the Arts opened a newly renovated space and featured art that
explores the idea of "space." Steve and Melissa Kornicki, a Pittsburgh art duo, were featured opening
night. Together, they created art by combining digitally enhanced pictures and sound into a
multimedia presentation. Described as conceptual art by Steve Kornicki, he and his wife work together to
create the video art, in which they take pictures and digitally transform the photographs. Then, Steve
Kornicki works with audio to coincide with the transforming images. "We just always had a fascination
with this kind of art," he says of the form that has been around since the late 1960s and is becoming more
popular. The pictures are of actual elements, he says, such as mountains, rivers, rocks, trees and the sky.
The photos were taken in southern California and Arizona and western Pennsylvania. A fitting title for
the Kornickis' work, "Transfigurations," the end product is a video of different images gradually
transforming through digital means combined with original music. "It's kind of an ambient piece,"
Kornicki says. "It's basically a chilled-out piece." The 50-minute work was projected onto a screen at
Sweetwater with music piped in, Kornicki says. He has been involved in music for more than 20 years and his
wife is a graphic designer. Although both have their personal strengths, they participate equally in their
creation, he says. - SEWICKLEY HERALD, February 2006

Conceptual Video Art by Melissa and Steve Kornicki Transfigurations is a 50-minute piece of conceptual video art combining photgraphs of natural objects and landscapes that very gradually morph into surreal, digitally manipulated and artistically transformed images of the same photographs accompanied by an original, ambient music score. The piece exists as a DVD for installation presentation or for home viewing. In essence, the piece, on both visual and auditory levels, alternates between what we perceive as real and the realm of abstraction. Exhibitions & Radio: -soundtrack for Transfigurations was included in the "most significant releases of 2006" list by WXPN-FM's ambient music radio program, Star's End. -soundtrack featured as March 2006 Significant Releases/Top 20 on Star's End (WXPN-FM, Philadelphia) -"New Space" - Sweetwater Center for the Arts - installation/exhibition (Sewickley, PA) -"Collective Dreaming" - ArtSpace 303 - installation/exhibition (Homestead, PA) -Music soundtrack featured on WXPN-FM - Star's End Ambient Radio (Philadelphia, PA) -Dowe's on 9th Street (jazz club) - exhibition (Pittsburgh, PA) Press: More than 25 pieces of art will be showcased at Sewickley's Sweetwater Center for the Arts (Brand New) Space exhibition which explores the vast and endless translations of the idea of "space." At the opening reception Friday, Melissa and Steve Kornicki of Pittsburgh will present their video art, " Transfigurations" on a large screen. The 50-minute video consists of Melissa's digital photographs and manipulations of the sky, waterfalls and other natural landscapes accompanied by music composed by Steve. " I'm really happy and excited to be part of the show," Steve Kornicki said. "I've been to the space before it was redone. The new space will be a good venue to showcase our piece." Speakers are built into the ceiling, allowing guests to hear the video music as they view the artwork. "The music will help set the mood for the show," Kornicki said. - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, January 2006 An art exhibition at Sweetwater Center of the Arts opened a newly renovated space and featured art that explores the idea of "space." Steve and Melissa Kornicki, a Pittsburgh art duo, were featured opening night. Together, they created art by combining digitally enhanced pictures and sound into a multimedia presentation. Described as conceptual art by Steve Kornicki, he and his wife work together to create the video art, in which they take pictures and digitally transform the photographs. Then, Steve Kornicki works with audio to coincide with the transforming images. "We just always had a fascination with this kind of art," he says of the form that has been around since the late 1960s and is becoming more popular. The pictures are of actual elements, he says, such as mountains, rivers, rocks, trees and the sky. The photos were taken in southern California and Arizona and western Pennsylvania. A fitting title for the Kornickis' work, "Transfigurations," the end product is a video of different images gradually transforming through digital means combined with original music. "It's kind of an ambient piece," Kornicki says. "It's basically a chilled-out piece." The 50-minute work was projected onto a screen at Sweetwater with music piped in, Kornicki says. He has been involved in music for more than 20 years and his wife is a graphic designer. Although both have their personal strengths, they participate equally in their creation, he says. - SEWICKLEY HERALD, February 2006
Multimedia Temporal Art art that changes and develops within a specific time frame	Transfiguration a change in form or appearance; metamorphosis
PRODUCTION NOTES Transfigurations is a 50-minute piece of conceptual video art combining images of natural objects and landscapes that gradually become transformed through digital means. The full presentation includes the visuals with an original music score. The piece exists as a DVD for installation presentation or home viewing. THE IMAGES The images consist of photographs of mountains, forests, waterfalls, oceans, deserts, rocks, sky, plants and flowers which were taken in southern California, southern Arizona and western Pennsylvania. Visually, these images follow a predetermined sequence and are divided into two sections. In section one, black and white photographs transition to artistically transformed versions of the photos. Section 2 consists of the same process with color photos. Gradually, the photos become completely obscured, and the piece concludes with transfigured images of the original photos from the previous sections. THE MUSIC Listen to an MP3 excerpt. A conceptual piece of music entitled "61 x 5 (Amplified Harmonics and Microtones Resulting from a Predetermined Tonality)". This music consists of 61 pre-recorded samples and fragments of live instruments (flute, piccolo, horn, trumpet, violin and cello) composed and recorded by Steve Kornicki, which have been electronically altered, modified, transformed and looped through the use of layered digital effects. These samples were then archived onto a single compact disc. The final version of the music consists of 5 copies of the CD played on 5 CD players with the players set on shuffle play mode and started in succession within one minute of each other. Thus, the 61 fragments are each heard 5 times throughout the piece, in random order, producing various textures and combinations. In this setting, the machines (CD players) determine the order and outcome of the layered sounds. The pitches of the instrument samples for this piece all reside within the 7 notes of a diatonic scale. The heavy processing of the instruments amplifies the natural harmonics and also reveals deviations in pitch, thus amplifying microtonal qualities between the various textures. The idea of creating a piece utilizing recordings of processed live instruments and sounds is a direct link to the "musique concrète" practiced by composers of the first tape music from the 1950s. AUDIO PLAYBACK NOTES This DVD contains a stereo mix of the 5 CDs for home use. This mix was created by layering the 5 CDs within a digital mixer (10 independent tracks), then mixed down to a stereo, two-track soundtrack. In an installation presentation, accompanying the video, there would be 5 CDs with a stereo speaker pair for each CD, thus the piece would require 10 speakers plus 5 optional subwoofers. For home use, this DVD is compatible with and can be played through a surround sound amplifier home system. A low to medium listening volume is recommended. **********************************************************************************************************