EXHIBIT - Fred Merrill: Creatures from a Door to Perception
Exhibit runs October 1 - November 30
Opening celebration Saturday October 4, 1-4pm
Closing event Sunday November 30, 12-4pm - performances, slide show, instrument building, snacks...
Open during all events, or email us to schedule a different time to view
On a rainy day at BWI Airport, Baltimore artist Fred Merrill is reading a soggy thrift-store copy of Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception. It’s a fitting image: Fred’s world is one where everyday reality slips into something weirder, wilder, and more alive.
In Fred’s reality, corporations become detailed micron illustrations of telephone monsters with tendrils and tongues, Barry Manilow deserves an altar, and sculptural creatures bend and blend into the landscape. There’s the sounds too– atonal harps built from scrap wood and found objects like shark teeth, guitars with hands and feet. A self-taught artist, everything is medium.
Near the UMBC campus, Fred’s home has long been a haven for students to play house shows, install any art they can imagine, and take up residence in a massive collection of thrifted books about sea creatures and photography. Much like Rhizome, this space is cooperative and runs on creativity.
For the month of October, Rhizome will house Creatures from a Door to Perception, a selection of work spanning several decades. This show celebrates not just Fred’s work, but the energy and spirit of grassroots creative spaces across our region.
Come hang out! Fred’s noise project, Electric Cabbage, will reunite for an improvised performance. There’ll be homemade instruments for an open group jam session, plus a photographic slideshow by Fred himself. Light snacks and drinks will be served.
Workshops on DIY instrument building and collaborative sound-making will pop up throughout the month—stay tuned for details.
