New art installation makes a bang in Norm Asbjornson Hall

A new interactive art installation is lighting up the walls of Norm Asbjornson Hall — in three dimensions.

Created by Emma Bergman, the installation was built with sliding glass panels on several rows of tracks. Passersby can push the painted panels back and forth to create their own composition. 

“Each panel acts as an experience,” said Bergman, a junior majoring in painting and graphic design. “As people move around the work and organize and push panels, they’re kind of creating their own world view.”

Bergman’s work, “Of Transparency and Perspective,” was the champion of an art contest opened last school year for a spot on the second floor of the building. It joins two other works on the first and third floor, and is part of a larger effort kicked off with the construction of Norm Asbjornson to bring art from across campus into the halls of the engineering building.

“Everybody’s delighted by the way this turned out,” said Rob Maher. the electrical and computer engineering professor who organized the contest. 

The project started in Bergman’s car. The artist began brainstorming ideas for the contest while driving home to Great Falls for winter break, and she spent the next few weeks building miniature models. 

She pitched her project to a panel of faculty, students, staff and community members. Then, she waited. 

The news of her winning the contest arrived in her email inbox while she was in Miller Dining Hall. 

“I was waiting for my sandwich to come out of the toaster so I could run to the table to tell my friends,” Bergman said. 

The panel selected the artist’s work, Maher said, because of the unique depth and transparency of the proposed installation. 

Bergman began working on the project over the summer — but upside down and in reverse. She painted on the backside of each of the glass panels, starting with the finest details of each floral pattern first before laying down any large blocks of color.

The artist also built the boxes and tracks supporting the sliding glass, which Bergman estimated took her three full work weeks to complete. 

With panels and boxes constructed, all that was needed was a bit of light — accomplished by strips of LEDs mounted between the tracks.

“When she got the lighting turned on, that really made it bloom,” Maher said. 

Dozens of people gathered Saturday in the light of the installation for a reception celebrating the project. It will remain on the wall for three years before another contest is held to rotate new art in.

“The artist has created the opportunity for each individual to experience it in a new way,” said Amy McNamara, a community member visiting the reception. “And every day it would look different.”