An artist exploring what the gap between the media's message and the audience's reality looks like.
Reception Theory
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This is the project page for Greg Mason Burns' residency to take place at Contemporary Arts International in Acton, MA in Oct-Nov, 2018.
Directions: Quarry Rd in Acton, MA is off Rt. 27. Once on Quarry Rd, you'll see two egg sculptures on the left that looks as if it is in someone's driveway. Turn into the driveway and follow the dirt road to the large red building just beyond the quarry. Ignore the "no trespassing signs" as these are used to keep people from swimming in the quarry itself. Trust me, you're on the right road. You'll see a bunch of metal, kinetic sculptures along the way. Park near the large red building and come on in.
There will be an exhibit from Nov 4 to Nov 30, 2018 and all are welcome.
Directions: Quarry Rd in Acton, MA is off Rt. 27. Once on Quarry Rd, you'll see two egg sculptures on the left that looks as if it is in someone's driveway. Turn into the driveway and follow the dirt road to the large red building just beyond the quarry. Ignore the "no trespassing signs" as these are used to keep people from swimming in the quarry itself. Trust me, you're on the right road. You'll see a bunch of metal, kinetic sculptures along the way. Park near the large red building and come on in.
There will be an exhibit from Nov 4 to Nov 30, 2018 and all are welcome.
Scheduled Events:
- Residency Period: Oct 22 until Nov 12, 2018
- Color Field Exhibit: Nov 4 until Nov 30, 2018
Images from the Exhibit:
Press Release

press_release_greg_burns.pdf | |
File Size: | 88 kb |
File Type: |
Reception Theory: The Project
This project takes the media’s message and contrasts that against the audience’s understanding of the truth, which assumes a gap between the two. However, instead of treating this gap simply as a concept I’m asking the question: if this gap were a place, what would it look like? What would the people look like, their cars, houses, where would their kids go to school? So this project explores the surreal idea that the gap between the media’s message and the audience’s understanding of the truth is a place that might actually exist.
I’ve developed this project mostly in Brazil, particularly during the contentious impeachment of Brazil’s President Dilma. As an artist with a journalism degree, this specific controversial period in Brazil’s history sparked the curiosity that created this project.
Reception Theory is an academic theory that attempts to determine how a person, or an audience, interprets a literary text. I have expanded the theory into the field of visual arts in an attempt to spark a debate over how the audience interprets what it views, reads, and hears from the media. The ultimate goal is to turn the theory around so that the audience is capable of creating a message that the media must then interpret. Until that time comes, I am simply creating a world that neither the audience nor the media can understand with the intention of filling in the understanding gap that exists between the media and audience.
I will exhibit a version of this project at Contemporary Arts International in Acton, MA from Nov 4 to Nov 30, 2018. The angle will be using Color Field techniques so as to strip out the noise and to focus entirely on the most important aspect of the image. All are welcome to attend, and thanks for your support.
Special thanks to Priory Comunicação for helping with these designs!