APRIL 2020
A six-foot sculpture, entitled “Perseverance,” reveals the face of the Savior created from more than 6,500 computer keyboard keys.
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Come closer and you’ll discover another layer of meaning in what those meticulously placed keys spell out.
“Perseverance” is a work by Louisville-based artist Bryan Kelly Holden who blends creativity and craftsmanship with unconventional media. Te inclusion of this visual art at the upcoming Louisville convention is “a means of inspiring in a fresh way those of us who create art by relying first and foremost on our sense of hearing,” according to Berta Sabrio, NPM’s vice president of programming and planning.
It’s also a source of community outreach. Miniatures of Holden’s work will be for sale, with proceeds benefitting a local charity.
A native of Louisville, Bryan Holden made his first sculpture more than 30 years ago, guided and influenced by his father. Today, his works are in the public collections of Humana Health Care, Brown- Forman Corporation, Te Helen Keller Foundation, Te City of Louisville, National Public Radio, Te University of Louisville and in private collections throughout the United States and internationally.
In 2012, he started his “Deconstruction” series of work using unconventional media. It serves as the foundation for an ongoing investigation of human behavior and how it affects people and those around them.
Here is the interview:
Pastoral Music: What are the “unconventional media” you use to create your works and what’s the inspiration behind those choices?
Bryan: I work with computer parts, wire, homeless signs, prison inmate wristbands, paint, glass, liquor bottles, wood, cigarette packs and butts, lighting, sound and other found objects. I choose the media that best represents the concept I’m addressing. Te labor- intensive media is a way to satisfy my OCD, and inspiration comes from my quest for perfection.
Artist Bryan Kelly Holden
PM: Te piece that will be shown at NPM’s convention is part of your “Deconstruction” series. What are you deconstructing, specifically?
Bryan: Human Behavior. It’s my way of observing and analyzing behavior, breaking it down and hopefully presenting it in a positive and inspiring manner, through my artwork. A different example in the “Deconstruction Series” is “Rebuilding My Home.” It was inspired by vandals, addicted to drugs or alcohol, who stole copper wire and pipes from my newly purchased but vacant house. Tey stole the copper to re-sell to get money for their next fix.
Knowing I needed to rebuild my house, and the vandals needed to rebuild theirs, I was inspired to create the piece out of copper wire, assembling a simple house foundation, but with 12 steps inside representing a 12-step addiction program. Te steps lead out of the roof to a platform where one is greeted and guided by the hands of God. As one takes a step up, there are windows along the way, where friends and family can be seen offering encouragement.
PM: Tell us about “Perseverance.” Bryan: It was conceived and created to
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hen NPM members enter Te Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky, in July, they’ll come face to face with Christ.
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