Published January 08. 2013 11:00PM
The banging and clanging of heavy machinery will once again ring throughout the Bethlehem Steel Plant starting Jan. 10 as Jamie and Mike Cabreza, of iMiJ Shop of Easton turn the ArtsQuest Center, SteelStacks. Bethlehem, into one of theformer plant's blast furnaces.
Molten steel meets art in the interactive and multi-dimensional photographic display, "Blast Furnace," featuring the Cabreza's iMiJ cubes, theater scrims, and a slide and video presentation.
Steelworkers tell the story of life in a steel plant through their eyes in more than 50 images included in the display which continues through April 28. The opening reception is 5 - 8 p.m. Jan. 10, ArtsQuest Center, as part of ArtsQuest's new "Stacks in the City Ladies Night." Refreshments and complimentary red and white wine will be available 5 - 6:30 p.m. The Cabrezas will present a gallery talk at 6 p.m.
"We are thrilled to make such a public project and have the blocks the largest size to date. We hope by bringing the images of a blast furnace inside ArtsQuest that we pay homage to the workers who made the steel that built so many of the landmarks we have today," says Jamie Cabreza.
Patrons can wander into the Creativity Commons and view a video and slide presentation on the wall. They can view 16 two-foot square iMiJ Blocks scattered throughout the building, and three theater scrims displayed from the ceiling.
The blocks created by the Cabrezas for this display serve as dividers to create an intimate seating area in the Creativity Commons, according to Jamie Cabreza. The one-of-a-kind blocks can be moved, stacked and arranged in any way the viewer wants, adding to the fun of the engaging display.