The Dress Project

The Dress Project was funded by a grant from the 5-County Fund of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance granted to Diana Riukas to work in partnership with the Philadelphia Chapter of  WCA.  Diana’s  inspiration for the Dress Project  was in part  the 2005 art exhibit at Delaware Center for Contemporary Art entitled “The Dress Makes the Woman” which featured women artists’ work about fashion and identity. She also had the desire to work collaboratively with both  artists and non-artists to create a  piece which would reflect the interests of those involved.  The theme for imagery was left open-ended for the most part in order to allow for a wide range of  ideas. As the project has progressed, it has evolved. This evolution has led to the theme of our WCA group show in which the Dress Project will be exhibited. The theme is: imagery which deals with the concept of fabric as it relates to issues of traditional gender roles and stereotypes, in particular pertaining to clothing, traditional sewing arts, and/or personal identity. This theme  reflects the artistic interests of   many  in our Chapter. After a Chapter survey was taken, she  compiled a  professional development guide and gave to Dress Project participants as a way to address the needs and interests of  our chapter as well as give something useful and practical to artists by way of  the  grant money. It has been exciting to have the participation of WCA members at the national level. About 120 panels were submitted to the project in total. . The design of the dress  has been influenced by the many different  contributions causing the dress to change from the original design.
 
This project was made possible  through the 5-County Arts Fund, a Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency. It is funded by the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual legislative appropriation and administered locally by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is supported by  National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The 5-County Arts Fund is also supported by PECO, an Excelon Company.  Some Montgomery projects are also funded, in part, by an appropriation from Montgomery County. For additional  information about these grants, visit the Cultural Alliance online  at http://www.philaculture.org

Artist’s Statement
 
As a multi- media artist  my current body of  work (see website www.DianaRiukas.com) started with figurative fabric constructions I sewed in organza. These transparent fabric constructions were then photographed and filmed  in a variety of lighting. These constructions  are used as subjects for my digital work to explore ideas of transformation, relationships between the figure and light, and relationships between human physicality and  spirituality.
           
In this body of work  I’ve experimented with numerous lighting effects including   natural and artificial. Creating mystical and mysterious lighting effects with the figure is my passion. Digital manipulation by way of  photography and video gives  me great freedom. Ideas of transformation, sound, and light can be  easily examined.  My light boxes are an extension of  this.  They allow me to exhibit my video-related imagery in a  stationary  way, yet still have transformative qualities.   The use of the light box  further uses light in a different way. I  digitally manipulate my still images in a way similar to collage by layering imagery. Layering of imagery is also used in my  light boxes  by overlapping transparencies to further add to the richness  of color and details.
 
The light and the figure are central to this body of work, often being expressive of  a relationship between physicality and spirituality. My work explores the internal figure.  After all, with the exception of  the physical, the contents of  the inner self  of a  person are entirely of a non-physical  nature. Viewing the interior imagery  of the figures in light boxes recalls the viewing of x-rays. They are like x-rays  of   inner worlds which may be experienced or visited through reflective contemplation.  Works in progress for  this body of work also  include semi-transparent  mixed media figurative mobiles which continue to explore ideas of the interior figure.