‘Keys of Fury’ to prompt questions of humans and technology

CHEYENNE, WYOMING – An art exhibition inviting viewers to examine their relationship with technology is coming to Laramie County Community College in September.

Front Range nonprofit Denver Digerati, as part of its animation festival, will be exhibiting the work of artist Raquel Meyers in a show called "Keys of Fury" in LCCC’s Esther and John Clay Fine Art Gallery Sept. 19-Oct. 24. The gallery is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. 

An artist talk will be held from 11 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, Sept. 20, followed by a reception scheduled for noon-1:30 p.m. There will be an animation screening from 11 a.m.-noon Oct. 4 in the Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium. 

Denver Digerati Executive Director and exhibition curator Sharifa Moore said viewers should be intrigued by their encounter with the exhibition. Viewers will see a large projection looping animations made by the artist accompanied by banner print images on the floor along with a laser-cut mosaic. Meyers employs a character set from Commodore 64 (PETSCII), a personal computer popular in the 1980s, which is used without ornament like concrete in brutalist architecture, capturing the spirit and the contradictions of our time. By presenting viewers with the finer points of data processing from outdated devices, Meyers is able to connect viewers with a broader perspective of humans’ relationship with technology. 

The experience with vintage or outdated technology is meant to prompt viewers to ask questions about their relationship with modern devices, such as their mobile phones. 

“I think that there is this confusion about how something is created,” Moore said. “And so what we're hoping is that people ask more questions about how things are produced and what is happening behind the scenes.”

A 2021 survey from Pew Research Center for that 72% of American respondents said they are spending more time on their digital devices. In such an extraordinary time, Moore said it’s important for people to ask questions about their use of technology, an experience the exhibit is sure to bring on. 

Meyers, born in 1977 in Spain, has had her work shown at many galleries and festivals worldwide.

For more information about the “Keys of Fury” exhibition or LCCC’s art programs, contact Daniel Maw at dmaw@lccc.wy.edu or 307.432.1692 or visit lccc.wy.edu/artGallery.