This fall, Torpedo Factory Art Center is featuring the work of AlexRenew Artist-in-Residence sTo Len in an exhibit called RENEWAL, in Studio 13. Commissioned through the City of Alexandria’s Public Art Program, Len’s work aims to elevate the public’s personal connection to the wellbeing and sustainability of local water systems.

 

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RENEWAL provides a behind-the-scenes perspective into the AlexRenew water recovery process. In Studio 13, Len displays his active and growing crowdsourced archive. The exhibition will evolve with a water-themed radio show and a public engagement opportunity called SEEWATER.

A physically distant photo scavenger hunt, SEEWATER engages audiences and raises awareness for the smallest details of water, from Alexandria’s sewer system to local waterfront habitats. The full photo scavenger hunt list is available here. It contains 40 items for people to photograph and email to Len at [email protected] tobe included in the exhibition.

Capacity for Studio 13 is two people at a time within the space. Those who wish to visit the Art Center are asked to adhere to current Virginia Safer at Home guidelines, including maintaining a social distance with people from different households, wearing face coverings indoors, and frequent handwashing for 20 seconds or use of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Hear the Artist

About the Residency

Originally from Alexandria, now based in New York, Len is Alexandria Renew Enterprises’ (AlexRenew) first artist-in-residence. Since the start of his residency in September 2019, Len has spent time with various AlexRenew scientists and engineers and local conservationists and at local waterfront locations in Alexandria, including Hooffs Run and Oronoco Bay. His artwork brings to light the water recovery process at AlexRenew and the public’s relationship to their local waterways. This program is the first phase of a collaboration with Alexandria’s Office of the Arts to bring a public-art perspective into AlexRenew’s commitment to fulfilling its vital mission to healthier waterways.

“Renewal documents the ways in which I have witnessed and been inspired by the water recovery process,” said Len. “From the behind the scenes access at AlexRenew to exploring the shorelines of the Potomac, this body of work showcases the imprints that I have collected along the way.”

Using suminagashi marbling, block printing, gyotaku fish printing, and cyanotype printmaking techniques, he captures imprints and impressions from pollution, bacteria, and other waste found in wastewater and local waterways. The resulting natural patterns and abstracted forms spotlight the unseen and ignored environmental impact humans have on the Potomac River watershed.

About the Artist

Sto Len is a printmaker, sound, and performance artist from New York by way of Virginia and Vietnam. Len works within this cultural dichotomy by incorporating issues of place, identity, history, and the environment. Growing up in Alexandria, Sto was influenced by the art and activism of the local punk scene in Washington DC, which he continues to embody through artwork that combines those ethics with experimental takes on traditional craft. Adapting traditional printmaking techniques, Len creates an updated visual language that engages in our relationship to water, waste and its interconnectivity to a multitude of injustices. Sto has exhibited his work internationally including exhibitions in New York, Vietnam, Japan, London, France, Germany, Australia, Denmark, and Canada. He co-founded the alternative arts space Cinders Gallery in New York, which has exhibited hundreds of artists since its inception in 2004. Learn more at stoishere.com and follow him on Instagram via @stoishere.

About AlexRenew

Led by a five-member citizen board, Alexandria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew) is a special-purpose wastewater authority serving over 300,000 people in the City of Alexandria and parts of Fairfax County. AlexRenew treats an average of 35 million gallons of wastewater per day at its Water Resource Recovery Facility, located in Alexandria, Virginia’s southwest quadrant. For more information, please visit http://www.alexrenew.com.

About Alexandria’s Office of the Arts

The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities promotes the value of arts and culture in Alexandria by nurturing, investing in and celebrating the creative contributions of artists and arts organizations through the Office of the Arts division. By engaging the community, encouraging participation, and facilitating access to the arts, RPCA works with local artists and arts organizations to build a vibrant community for all of the City’s residents, workers and visitors. Within the division, the Events and Public Space Activation team strengthens and builds the social fabric of Alexandria. Learn more at alexandriava.gov/arts or follow @alexartsoffice on Instagram and Twitter. Add to the conversation with #artsALX.

About the Public Art Residency Program

The City of Alexandria’s Public Art Program, in collaboration with Alexandria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew), developed the city’s first Public Art Residency program. This residency is an opportunity for artists to engage deeply with the work of AlexRenew (a special purpose authority that treats wastewater for the City of Alexandria) and its RiverRenew project – a major initiative to improve the health of Alexandria’s waterways.

Learn more about the Public Art Program or contact Diane Ruggiero at [email protected].

Alexandria’s Office of the Arts is a division of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities.