Henry Klimowicz has transformed the Wider Window Gallery at the Berkshire Museum with his remarkable Paper and Light, a site-specific installation composed of disused cardboard that has been carefully re-configured and arranged. It conjures thoughts of the meticulous work of insects, while incorporating available light almost as another element of the exhibition.
“I have used cardboard as my primary material since about 1986. My earliest use of cardboard was a reaction against an even earlier body of work that used a wide range of materials. I wanted to simplify my pallet,” Klimowicz says. “Deriving value in artwork from the materials used has troubled me. Value can come from both the cost of the material or the materials intellectual relationship to art making. I love that with cardboard the audience has to give to the work value without either of these intellectual or societal crutches.”
Paper and Light is part of the Housatonic Paper Trail, a celebration of the history and impact of the paper industry in the region. The history of Berkshire Museum is inextricably linked with that of the Crane family, who founded the Museum as well as the innovative paper-makers Crane and Co. In addition to Henry’s installation, the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation will display historical items from its own collection and from the Crane Museum of Papermaking, presenting a practical history of the work of Crane & Co. through the years. The small exhibit will contain items like linen samples used in making Crane’s signature bank note paper, linen samples, early bank notes, a dandy roll and short videos showing the production process.
Image: Henry Klimowicz, Berkshire Museum
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