An ‘OpenEnded Look At Techno Art

An ‘OpenEnded Look At Techno Art

It's all about how you interpret the work, that's how art should be.

The newly created Museum of Techno Art, filled with steampunk-inspired artwork, art-style pieces that depict the modern computer as an omnipresent presence in our society, will have its grand opening on Saturday, October 7 in an open-air setting. Mine facilities in downtown Eugene.

So what is techno art? Steve Larriccia, a longtime member of New Area Gallery, which has relocated to the Museum of Techno Art (MTA), laughs at the question.

"Everyone has their own perspective. "It's kind of an open road."
For La Riccia, that means looking back to the past, "taking Victorian science and technology and pushing it into the future, reusing something old to create something new," as he noted in a 2014 Oregon Art Beat segment on Oregon Public Broadcasting.

These include functional works such as Farnsworth's Dilemma, which features themes from each decade of the twentieth century; "The Wozniak Mystery," which combines an 1897 Remington typewriter and a classic early Mac computer; and Babbage's Loveless Mechanism, which is a must-see.

LaRiccia explained that MTA began when fellow artist Glenn Smith stopped by for a visit more than a year ago and was impressed by the steampunk art in his home. "It's like a museum," Smith said of La Richia.

MTA aims to showcase technological or industrial art, reflecting the history of human invention, retrofuturism or creative machines of the future.

Smith had his own work at the MTA, which Laricia said was more modern in scope: combining advanced computers to create works of art. The museum also features Eugene artists Barbora Bakalrova and Max Rink, as well as Joe Moss of Eugene's Archive Design. In addition, there are two historic donated prints and a time-based work by Paul Brown, a well-known British pioneer in the computer industry.

The MTA Mining Building has a lease term of only six months, with only three months remaining on the lease. LaRiccia said she hopes to eventually find a downtown storefront-type space for a new gallery, similar to the New Zone gallery.

The Techno Art Museum, Eugene's newest exhibition space dedicated to technology-themed art, opens Saturday, October 7 at the Miner Building, 132 E. will host an open house in Suite 212, Broadway. Memberships are available and donations are easy to earn. Welcome. The museum is open every Friday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM or by appointment by calling 541-517-1488.

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