1805 Gallery
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Melissa Walter

Best known for her optically stimulating sculptures of twisting paper and drawings of detailed geometric patterns, Walter visually explores concepts concerning Astronomy and astrophysical theories. Walter has worked as a graphic designer and science illustrator for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and as a team member of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her experience has inspired her to visually articulate wonders of the Universe, such as black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, dark matter and more recently, dark energy.

Melissa Walter

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Melissa Walter | June 3 2017 - July 9, 2017 

Best known for her optically stimulating sculptures of twisting paper and drawings of detailed geometric patterns, Walter visually explores concepts concerning Astronomy and astrophysical theories. Walter has worked as a graphic designer and science illustrator for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and as a team member of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her experience has inspired her to visually articulate wonders of the Universe, such as black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, dark matter and more recently, dark energy.

Melissa Walter will be working in the gallery from Saturday, June 3 to Friday, July 9, 2017. While in residence at 1805 Gallery, Walter will complete an installation that addresses the concept of dark energy, a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all space and exerts a negative pressure that causes the universe to expand at an ever-increasing rate. Walter’s work translates and materializes the intangible knowledge of the Universe into an aesthetic physical reality for a personal experience.

Walter has recently completed an artist in residence program at Bread & Salt and participated in exhibitions at the San Diego Art Institute, Torrance Art Museum, Helmuth Projects and the San Diego International Airport for a temporary exhibition titled Intergalactic Dreaming in 2017. She received her BFA, cum laude from the University of Rhode Island in 1998. 

Melissa Walter's residency installation Dark Energy (2017) was featured in A New Stellar Order, a documentary film exploring the connection between art and astronomy within Walter's art practice.  The film was produced by The Artist Odyssey, a global network of filmmakers documenting the world’s artists.  The Emmy Award-winning team takes you into artist studios around the world via award-winning documentaries and inspiring lessons featuring leading photographers, musicians, visual and performing artists.