“I knew it was going to be a big process, and I originally planned for 50-70 pieces.”
Two-and-a-half years ago, when Sioux Falls artist Steve Bormes applied for an art show at the Washington Pavilion, he had no idea it would turn into a 100-piece gallery exhibit.
“I knew it was going to be a big process, and I originally planned for 50-70 pieces,” said Bormes. What he came up with was “A Deep Sea Imaginarium,” which is based on deep sea, undiscovered species of fish.“Nobody can really question me if it’s a fish or not,” he laughed.
The exhibit will be in the Everist Gallery, which is about 4,000-5,000 square feet. Bormes says he is looking at it like a million-gallon tank. He decided that his original plan of 50 pieces would not be enough, and decided it would take 100 pieces to fill the space.
Friends and family have been helping him store the pieces everywhere from their homes to warehouse space. About five pieces have been sold prior to the show, leaving 95 that have never before been seen. All pieces that are not already sold will be for sale at the Pavilion during the show.
“I’ve been hiding them as I make them,” said Bormes. “I photograph them and then put them in storage.” As for a favorite, Bormes says each one becomes his favorite as he’s working on it. “I like them all. I have a blast doing them.”
When people step into the gallery, they’ll see a transformed environment. Art will be hung from the ceiling as well as staged around the room. There will be an essence of floating, with big fans helping to create the effect. A lot of his work is made to cast light on walls, so in this giant room with all these pieces casting light, Bormes says he thinks there’s going to be lots of polka dots on the floors and ceilings. “It’s fun and whimsical. There’s nothing heavy about it.”
There will also be tongue-in-cheek poems that coincide with each species. The artist believes kids and adults alike will get a kick out of them, for different reasons.
All pieces are made out of found objects, including wine boxes, baseball gloves, catchers masks, old wooden organ pipes, and boat motor covers, as well as the potato ricers he’s known for, to name a few. The pieces are found through Bormes’ travels as well as friends and community members bringing him things they may have otherwise thrown out.
The 99th piece was made using the back of an old railroad crossing lamp, not the glass Bormes originally thought he would use. He says as he took it apart, and when he saw the back, he knew that’s what he would use for the piece.
“It’s exceptional in the fact that I didn’t know what it was, so I’m intrigued right away and I like knowing that it was right in front of me and I had no clue what it was. Now, my audience will have no clue and have to ask what it is,” he explained.
Bormes owns Rug & Relic, a textile store in Sioux Falls. Between running the store and working on the show for the past two and a half years, he has been busy. He got some help in the form of a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council. In this time, he also created three pieces for the Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk.
One thing being considered, with a show of this magnitude, is making it a traveling show. Bormes thinks it will attract a different kind of audience. His pieces are whimsical and not stuffy or made to trip the viewer up.
“Whatever you think it is, that’s good enough for me,” he said. “It’s easy for people to look at and have fun.”
Normally, a gallery is quiet and people are looking at the art, but Bormes expects his show will have at least a murmur. Also missing will be signs that say, “please don’t touch.”
Bormes says part of the magic is that you see those found objects and know what they are, but the way they are presented will make you want to reach out and touch to figure out exactly what it is you’re looking at. “Little kids, when they see my pieces, they’ll squeal or throw their hands up in the air. Young and old, the visual will be fun.”
The show opens September 10 and runs through January 29, 2017. The artist reception is October 7. For more information, visit washingtonpavilion.org.
