Illuminated Revetment 

by Donnie Copeland and Carey Roberson 

cut paper, LED lamps 

2022

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Illuminated Revetment is a cut paper and LED light project that is the result of a collaboration between me and Carey Roberson. The work was produced in response to a request that an artwork be made for a concert, specifically for A Song for Japan by Steven Verhelst, which would be part of the program. The Chamber Ensembles Concert took place on November 17, 2022, at Ouachita Baptist University.

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The following is a statement that accompanied the work.

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When thinking of what to produce as a visual response to A Song for Japan by Steven Verhelst (a song created in memory of the tragedy of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami) ideas of water, flood and destruction initially came to mind. None of these were concepts we wanted to work with for this piece. In time the ideas of rebuilding, rebirth and resurrection came to mind. In this work, which we are calling Illuminated Revetment, these ideas have taken the shape of natural forms such as plants and leaves. What began as a simple drawing of a plant was reduced to a flat, abstract, plant-like pattern, then mirrored and reflected, to make a pattern of radial symmetry, and finally lighted by LED lamps to produce something that reminds us of the illuminated windows and decorative stone revetments like those adorning the walls of a great church which itself stands in anticipation of God’s New Jerusalem. We hope that as you enjoy the color and pattern you might also catch a glimpse of the glow of the after image that the projected color produces in your mind’s eye.  

 

We would like to thank Jubilee Collins, the OBU Printshop and Lori, Lydia and Esther Copeland for their assistance with this work.

 

Carey W. Roberson is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Ouachita Baptist University, located in Arkadelphia, AR. His artwork integrates traditional studio media with new digital technologies and methods to create quiet personal narratives. Carey has exhibited in over 70 competitive, invitational, and solo exhibitions. His work has been exhibited at the University of North Texas, Ithaca College, Huntsville Museum of Art, Mobile Museum of Art, the Arkansas Arts Center, and many other universities and private galleries around the nation.