Littman & White Galleries in the Smith Memorial Student Union is currently showcasing an exhibit titled ‘Tempo Giusto,’ curated by artist Simeen Anjum, which invites visitors to re-evaluate their relationships with time and urgency in their daily lives.
The exhibit aims to promote a slow, thoughtful, and intentional perspective of art and the world. The title ‘Tempo Giusto,’ an Italian term that translates to ‘in the correct time,’ serves as a metaphor for individual experiences of time.
Naomi Nguyen, the Gallery Director at Littman & White, explained that the exhibit was born out of a desire to challenge modern, capitalistic norms that prioritize speed and productivity over meaningful engagement with our surroundings.
“It’s called Tempo Giusto which is an Italian term that means in the correct time,” Nguyen said. “We wanted to describe how [the exhibit] relates to our understanding of time. In our modern environment and modern capitalistic landscape, we’re expected to rush through the day without thinking about intentions behind things or considering a different cadence that our day-to-day activities could take. This exhibition is about creating the time and space to have those reflections.”
The exhibit features works from five artists, each interpreting the concept of intentionality and reflection through their unique mediums. The artists include Diana Lehr, a multidisciplinary visual artist; Julie Perini, a filmmaker and community-based media maker; Lisa Occhipinti, a sewist and designer; Jennifer Rasmussen, a florist and artist; and Sharon Svec, a printmaker.
One of the standout pieces in the gallery is the Untitled Moss work by Jennifer Rasmussen. Nguyen expressed her admiration for the piece, highlighting how it encapsulates the essence of nature and serves as a soothing contrast to the concrete environment surrounding the gallery.
“As a lover of moss and of the Pacific Northwest, I love the Untitled Moss pieces made by Jennifer Rasmussen. I just love staring into them and feel like green is a very therapeutic color,” Nguyen said.
Rasmussen’s moss sculptures provide a calming reflection space, vital in a setting dominated by industrial materials.
PSU student Falmatu Bilata shared her experience of discovering the gallery while en route to work. She was particularly captivated by the moss pieces, connecting them to concepts of nature and creativity.
“My favorite piece is the Untitled moss piece; it reminds me of nature and it feels like stepping outside without really needing to,” Bilata explained. “There is a lot outside that you can see and make into art; art isn’t restrictive.”
The exhibit encourages viewers to embrace a slower pace not only within art but also in their daily lives, fostering deeper reflections and connections.
Maxwell Mitchell, another PSU student majoring in English, remarked on a thought-provoking installation related to Simone De Beauvoir’s seminal work ‘The Second Sex.’ He was intrigued by how the exhibit encouraged personal engagement with the text.
“The ‘Simone De Beauvoir The Second Sex’ piece was really interesting to me,” Mitchell said. “When you’re reading the quote, you’re expected to cross out what you’ve just read—or pick things to cross out and thus by doing that, you’re in turn crossing out information for the next person who decides to read. You’re the last person to read that passage—and it becomes kind of personal.”
This interaction was facilitated by a sign next to the laid-out copy of De Beauvoir’s work, inviting visitors to alter the text in their own way. The sign read, “You are invited to take time to alter the text before you. Begin slowly, engage meaningfully, and allow the seconds to pass.”
The Tempo Giusto exhibit offers a sanctuary in which art meets mindfulness, urging visitors to reconsider their pace of life. By embracing a thorough relationship with time, each person can discover meaning and reflection that may otherwise be lost in the rush of modernity.
As the exhibit continues, attendees are encouraged to embrace the idea that art can be a pathway to deeper understanding of their world, allowing for personal interpretations and intentional slowing of pace.
image source from：https://psuvanguard.com/as-time-stands-still-tempo-giusto-at-lw/
