EXTRA CREDIT is an education series that aims to provide a general overview of contemporary art and to demystify the field for those outside of the art world. It is ideal for anyone interested in learning more and for those looking to further engage with exhibitions and museums.

This interactive discussion is an exploration of the current moment- how have innovative visual artists used video, immersive space and installation techniques to expand form and play with imagination? Are there limits to this experimentation? Curator Barbara London has suggested, “By releasing the image from a single screen and embedding it in an environment, artists have extended their installations in time and space.” By using multiple channels, layered sound, material components and objects, we will consider how the work of influential contemporary video artists have expanded what it spatially, sonically and psychically means to experience work in a public context.

This event is free and open to the public; register here.

SOSENA SOLOMON is an award winning social documentary film and multimedia visual artist from Ethiopia. Intuitively selecting subjects and stories, she is particularly interested in spaces of transition and change, acting as a cultural preservationist. Her work, whether presented as a film or an immersive 3-dimensional experience, explores cross sections of various subcultures and communities in flux, carefully teasing out cultural nuances and capturing personal narratives via arresting visual storytelling and cinéma vérité stylings. Sosena has worked for many years in the commercial and nonprofit sectors and has worked as a Director and Cinematographer on many short film projects. Sosena earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Social Documentary Film from The School of Visual Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Television Production from Temple University. Sosena is a freelancer currently lecturing in the Fine Arts Department at University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design.

Public Engagement is supported by the Bernstein Public Engagement Fund.