An installation at the Yeiser Art Center this month led by Paducah artist Char Downs tells the story of how code and communication through symbols create unique works of art. She utilizes the ancient tradition of life masks to tell a story of music and people's lives through the power of visual art. Downs talked with WKMS Morning Edition host Daniel Hurt about her collaborative installation "In the Key of C: Coda," the meaning of the title, and the inspiration for her work.
Musical Inspiration
A lover of music who took piano lessons in her youth, Downs begins, “I used music as the structure for the whole installation because music is something we respond to from the beginning when we hear the rhythm of our mother's heartbeat. So people's faces, the life masks that have been painted by all kinds of different artists from all over, are placed within a column of lines, which is actually a measure if you take a picture of it and put it on its side. It's a measure of music."
"Each person is a different note," Downs continues. “If the mask is in color, the notes are from "What a Wonderful World." It goes nine measures across the whole gallery, and then, in a reverse part of the music, the black and white faces represent the music from "The Sound of Silence.""
Life Masks
Downs said she had been collecting what are known as life masks, or masks made of the living, rather than the ancient tradition of ‘death masks’, which dates back to the Egyptian dynastic era as a popular way of preserving the memory of someone in the era before modern means photography.
“When I first started collecting faces for installations like 13 years ago, I had an installation to celebrate my 10th year of being here and coming as part of the artist relocation program in Paducah. And I had an installation of the white life masks in my show called “One Community, One Life." I wondered where to go from there."
"Since then, since 2015, I've been having shows with life masks in different areas like Grand Rapids and different places," Downs says. “I am expressing different symbols using binary code. The faces were the zeros, and there was a paint slash as the ones. [For] this one, I've always loved music. I started thinking about how I could include and use these masks as part of the music installation.”
The Songs
Downs said she chose the two songs because of their sentimental value and descriptions. “The main reason for "Sound of Silence" is the first piano music that I learned how to play as an acolyte of my music teacher on the piano. So that was the reason and I love the song and what it expresses. "What a Wonderful World" was just a beautiful song in itself and it expresses so much color and beauty about the world and how we live."
Downs' Coda
Downs’ installation is a collaborative work with people from the local community and across the country. The name “In the Key of C: Coda” is relevant to her personal story. The Key of C refers to her name, Char, and "coda" is a musical and literary reference that means ending or conclusion. Downs said this would be the last of her large mask shows.
"I've had them now for 13 years, and I've had them in different installations, different sizes. This is the biggest. There are more than 400 masks in this show. I wanted to think also, when I was thinking about music, how would I include other artists because I love collaborative work and to include people in the community,” Down says.
“I've got people from all over the United States and the world, actually — Russia, Sweden, Austria, and different places. I always wanted to collaborate and bring people in, and just seeing them come in and what the artist and the people did with them was just wonderful. They get so excited.”
Char Downs says her “In the Key of C: Coda” installation is also a fundraiser for the Yeiser Art Center. She said it is an important part of the community, and it is important to her to ensure they get funds to continue their work. “I wanted to support them in the only way that I can: with my art. The split is usually 60-40 with the 60 for the artists, but I'm going halves with them so that they can make something from it, and I can pay for my expenses for the installation also.”
There is a closing reception with Char Downs at the Yeiser Art Center on the last day of the installation’s public display on Friday, June 21, from 5 until 7 p.m. “In the Key of C: Coda” will be on display at the Yeiser Art Center through June 21. More details can be found on the Yeiser website.
