Lakescape

Lakescape is a large-scale permanent installation featuring a mural and sound experience in homage to Lake Champlain. Located in the lower-level hallway of the Center for Communication & Creative Media, this project is an immersive experience that highlights both the visual and audio uniqueness of the lake from both sides: Vermont and New York. Corresponding with the literal map of the Lake Champlain water basin, the lower-level hallway becomes a metaphor for the lake and the sights and sounds one might experience while standing in the middle of it. With murals on both walls of the hallway, the installation will also feature sound samples from selected locations along the shoreline to create a soundtrack that plays through speakers embedded throughout the hallway ceiling. The goal of this project is to merge the visual experience of seeing the lake with the audio experience of the shoreline to create a unique and playful encounter with the waterway from one end of the hallway to the other.

About the Artists:

Jake Barakat is an emerging artist and independent production-based freelancer who has a material-curious studio practice that ranges from painting to woodworking to textile design.

From Jake: Fascinated by aerial views of the earth and our relationship to it, I am inspired by how people’s connection to the mundane and everyday changes with age. When I was younger, I would use my imagination to picture the “cracks in the sky.” These cracks are symbolic of how everyday ideas shift based on one’s perception or understanding of any given place or time. For me, the idea is rooted in wonder and curiosity. I want my work to connect my audience with their inner child. As both an artist and a human, it is important to me to help rebuild that bridge to finding beauty in simple pleasures. I believe that, as artists, we have the opportunity to speak to and reflect our interpretation of the world around us. Using joy as an act of resistance, I continuously explore how art can help us access a variety of relational experiences. As a queer American-Arab, there are many facets of my identity that often get lost in stereotypes, and my art seeks to challenge that. As an emerging artist, I am pushing myself to stay open to the process. I believe that my work can be both visually accessible and contribute to a larger, pertinent contemporary conversation.

John Thomas Levee is Program Director and Professor of Game Sound Design at Champlain College. He is also the Program Coordinator for the Pre-College Audio Engineering, Sound Design, and Music Academy. He received his MFA in Sound Art from Columbia University and his BA in Digital Arts and BS in Audio Technology and Industry from Stetson University. As an artist and composer whose work often involves sound, installation, video, performance, and sculpture, John has exhibited both domestically and internationally. His artistic work has been featured in a variety of galleries in New York City, notably the Jewish Museum and Fridman Gallery.

Lakescape is currently in process through the end of September in the lower level of the Center for Communication & Creative Media building at Champlain College. Located on the corner of Maple Street and South Willard Street. The hallway is open for viewing during the process and we welcome visitors. If you’d like to learn more about the project, please contact: gallery@champlain.edu.