Southern Idiom: Jaeson Pitt

On View September 24–October 23, 2022 | Southern Idiom Gallery

SECCA's Southern Idiom exhibition series continues with WAVWRX, an audiovisual project by interdisciplinary artist Jaeson Pitt. An opening reception with the artist will be held from 1–4pm on Sunday, September 25. Admission is free, with a suggested $10 donation.

ABOUT WAVWRX

WAVWRX (wave works) is an audiovisual project by Jaeson Pitt. It is an ongoing series of collages on paper that coexist with sound collages and musical compositions associated with his electronic music alias, WorldS.. The endeavor comes from his art and design studio/label, WorldSpectacular.

The collaged works on paper and audio recordings comprise an aural and visual abstraction, or depiction, of the artist's interpretations of energy > frequencies > vibrations > sound > music.

This project attempts to capture the magnitudinous depths of linear waveforms as a vibe-in two dimensions. Using traditional art and design elements (line, shape, form, space, texture, value, color), and the addition of numbers; Pitt's compositions depict energy, as abstracted waves and waveforms that capture light, time, emotions, thought, and experiences, as omnipresent moving and static objects that are constantly transmuting in flux.

The WAVWRX studio practice incorporates ideologies for design, fine art, film and music making in regard to concepts like: improvisation, composition, arrangement, timbre, pitch, synthesis, processing, drum programming, layering, layout, rhythm, and mathematics, where each visual art piece is a metaphorical tracking or multitrack documenting living existence in and out of space and time. 

ARTIST BIO

Jaeson Pitt, or "Jae", to most friends and family is an artist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Jae has been working in art his entire life- from drawing for long hours in his bedroom or parent's business after school, attempting to master mostly comics, pop culture icons, and sports heroes – to learning to paint, make ceramics, play with the potentials of fiber, and learning dark room photography from local art hubs like the Sawtooth Center found downtown in his home town.

He attended Moore Alternative, Summit School, and R.J. Reynolds High School, where he graduated in 2000. During those years Pitt gained attention for his natural ability and desire to make art. Teachers recognized his talents and encouraged him, along with his mother, Elaine Pitt, who, alongside early educator advocates, fostered his growth by exposing him to more art, more museums, galleries, and methods of art practice. Thus, Pitt earned many scholastic recognitions.

Before his freshman high school year, art allowed him the opportunity to land his first job outside of his family's local weekly newspaper business, through the Arts Council of Winston-Salem's Artiva Program. Students apprenticed in a particular area of interest along with a college mentor and "expert" in the field. Pitt was in a group of young muralists who painted some of the first murals downtown going into the millennium. Later, before graduating high school, he was able to become an assistant to the then, burgeoning photographer, Michael Cunningham. The experience enhanced Pitt's views of how technology plays a role in art. He previously associated Photography with the utility of journalism and family portraiture. It expanded Pitt's visual vocabulary and allowed him access to the life of a professional artist.

Pitt has always involved himself in some form of creativity and studied Art and Design at North Carolina State University. He specialized in Textile Design through a new honors program named for renowned textile artist, Annie Albers. There, He immersed himself in the unique environment of design school, where, for the first time, there were many like himself. Interested in exploring the seemingly endless potential for their imaginations via new technologies, animation, Adobe software, 3D printing, silk screening, pattern and garment- making, traditional painting, and how form and function is everywhere in our world.

Eventually with the advent and accessibility of home computer recording software, he picked up music making and sound design and incorporated it as an expressive outlet as well.

Pitt returned to Winston Salem, worked at the family business, The Chronicle, where he did graphic design for layout and advertising, photography/editing, wrote as a journalist, and co-managed the Circulation department. During this time, he also enrolled at Winston-Salem State University to focus on a degree in Computer Arts.

Later, Jae went on to become an educator. He taught Visual Art through a course he termed "Art Exploration" where he exposed K-12 students in Charter School, Public School, and Alternative Education to the vast world of art and design. His aim was to inspire them to see that creativity, imagination, and art and design could be found in every industry. To get them to see that everyone has potential for the arts.

Today Pitt's studio practice largely involves Collage, New Media, and Music/Sound, and Fashion. He rotates and interplays with installation like approaches to space, considering

backgrounds and objects. He places subjects/models in the spaces and documents them via digital still image or video. The subjects often will be wearing clothing and wearable art produced by Pitt; and involved with his Electronic Music outlet, WorldS. – to create visuals for sound projects and vice versa. Pitt is approaching his fine art practice like an artistic director for a company campaign. He pulls together multiple disciplines to inform and create an aesthetic that communicates a particular idea or engage viewers or listeners to invoke feeling.

Currently, Jae Pitt has been mostly focused on his latest body of work, WAVWRX. Pronounced 'Wave Works'. For the last 3-5 years he has made collaged works on paper and larger, multimedia works on wood that go alongside an ongoing soundtrack of improvised recordings.

Going back and forth between fine art and sound art and music, Pitt has attempted to craft compositions based on energy, frequencies, vibrations, using color, shape, space, and lines to create a sort of abstracted audio visualization language. The audio recording applies some of the same approach to making. Collaged sound samples, cut, spliced and interweaved with synthesizers and computer beats to generate an aural experience. In WAVWRX, one practice informs the other.

Resultingly, there are more than 500 visual art works and approximately 50 cassette tapes containing the audio artworks. The idea is to exhibit WAVWRX in a space where the visual and audio art can be equally displayed in harmony. Pitt hopes to share WAVWRX as installments, where he will show it once while continuing to create for it, then share again in 3- 5-year cycles to show its evolution and growth.

Jae Pitt is open to collaboration with other creatives in all disciplines, as well as thinkers and doers across industry boundaries. He believes that art is a viable part of society and culture and adds value to our lives. Pitt believes in Art as therapy. Pitt believes art is one of the most powerful discourses possible. That it can be equally a major weapon and, or, a tool for peace and love. Pitt is currently working on further developing his art/design studio to focus on Art/Design, Music, Fashion, and New Media. 

About Southern Idiom

SECCA's Southern Idiom exhibition series launched in 2017 as a platform for elevating and celebrating the work of Winston-Salem artists. In contrast to many exhibitions at SECCA, works on view in Southern Idiom are available for purchase. Jaeson Pitt's exhibition marks the 30th installment of the series, whose alumni artists include Sharon Hardin, Terri Dowell-Dennis, Ashley Johnson, Frank Campion, Mona Wu, Owens Daniels, Jessica Singerman, Leo Rucker, Kevin Calhoun, Paul Travis Phillips, Laura Lashley, Sam "The Dot Man" McMillan, and others.