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AUSTIN-BASED, INSTALLATION ARTIST MELISSA BORRELL UNVEILS FACEBOOK ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE CUSTOM SCULPTURE

Borrell to also showcase her other geometric, math-inspired, architectural pieces during East Austin Studio Tour, Nov. 10-11 and Nov. 17-18
(AUSTIN, TEXAS – Oct. 26, 2018) – Austin-based artist Melissa Borrell is proud to unveil her new installation “Tessellation Constellation” created for Facebook’s Artist-In-Residence program, as well as her studio for this year’s East Austin Studio Tour (EAST). Borrell’s studio is located at 916 Springdale Rd #104, Austin, Texas 78702, and will be open to the public to showcase her unique, geometric art style both weekends of EAST taking place Nov. 10-11 and Nov. 17-18. For more information on Borrell, please see www.melissaborrell.com.
Melissa Borrell is an installation artist who creates kinetic, architectural sculptures and immersive environments that surprise and delight while striving to inspire participants to see the world in a new way. In early 2018, Facebook approached Borrell to utilize her unique style and skills to create a new immersive installation for the new Facebook office in downtown Austin. As a part of Facebook’s Artist-In-Residence program, which aims to “promote creativity, innovation, openness and connectivity within our community through art and design,” Borrell created the geometric installation titled “Tessellation Constellation.” She had been fascinated with tessellations, an arrangement of shapes closely fitted together, especially of polygons in a repeated pattern without gaps or overlapping, and the Facebook project was the perfect opportunity for her to explore this pattern even further. “Tessellation Constellation” pivots around geometry and architecture, as wooden pieces are bound to create the intricate formation of “constellations.”
“Tessellation Constellation”
“It was really exciting to have Facebook contact me – it’s a curated program, so I am honored to be selected,” said Melissa Borrell. “One of the really cool things with the program is the creative freedom I was given – they encouraged me as an artist to explore new ideas.”
Melissa Borrell’s studio will be open to the annual East Austin Studio Tour (EAST) this year on Nov. 10-11 and Nov. 17-18 at Canopy. During EAST, Borrell will showcase her workspace, wall installations and works in progress and will be available to chat about possible commissions and purchasing installations and sculptures found in the studio. Borrell will also be showing her latest project, a kinetic, motorized, robotic sculpture for the first time during the tour.
“It’s fun to show my studio because it’s my laboratory,” said Borrell. “It’s great to show off where I work all the time and people can see the materials and forms that I experiment with and the models I create when developing new ideas. Seeing where people work tells a lot about an artist that is not always as evident in the finished art. It’s like they get to peek inside my mind!”
“The Fractal Nature of Things”
As an artist, Borrell’s purpose is to change people’s perceptions about everyday, details that might otherwise go unnoticed. She often works with color in unique ways to convey her own magical enchantment to the viewers. As they stop to look at the art and see the colors change when viewed from different angles, she hopes that her work reminds them of how amazing it is that you can put two colors together and make a new one. She delights in this transformation and wants to share this joy with others.
Fascinated by math, geometry, nature, technology and architectural forms, Melissa’s pieces are sophisticated yet playful. With an engineering mind and a delicate aesthetic, Borrell combines materials and shapes in a unique way to create and transform environments that illuminate the things that she finds awe-inspiring. This transformation can be seen all throughout her history as an artist, from her custom jewelry designs to her latest installation projects. Borrell’s grand pieces such as “Expanding Landscape Installation” truly encapsulate her transformative aesthetic, while pieces such as “The Fractal Nature of Things” showcase her skills in working with different forms to create brand new environments.
“Heading West”
The Borrell’s work plays with the inextricable connection between art, math and science. Math is often an intimidating subject that many avoid or distain; Borrell however loves math and it plays a large role in her work. She hopes to open her viewers eyes to the concepts of geometry, spatial relationships, and natural biological and geological formations that surround us every day.
“Through my art I show viewers another side to the seemingly literal world of mathematics and that the line between art and math is nonexistent,” said Borrell. “I want to change people’s perceptions about everyday, normal objects that might otherwise go unnoticed. Creating spaces and objects that make people slow down, wonder and smile.”
Melissa Borrell continues to apply the same attention to detail and aesthetic prowess to her 3D installations that she did to the jewelry designs at the beginning of her career. With her larger-scale projects, she seeks to create recognizable showpieces of public spaces all over. Borrell’s works can now be seen in various commercial spaces (such as hotels), corporate office spaces and galleries across the state and country.
ABOUT MELISSA BORRELL:
Melissa Borrell is a native Texan, growing up in Houston and basing her studio in Austin. She has lived in many cities around the globe, studying French and studio art in Boston and Paris and working as a studio artist in San Francisco for several years before moving to Providence for graduate school. Borrell received an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2005 and moved back to Texas in 2006. She has created several immersive installations that delight audiences of all ages and has received commissions from the City of Austin, New Mexico State, Art Alliance Austin and the Lawndale Art Center in Houston among others. Borrell has also exhibited at Texas State University galleries and is a member of the VisonGland Collective for which she created works in 2017. Melissa has been an artist in residence at Sculpture Space in Utica, New York, the Vermont Studio Center, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Platteforum in Denver.
When she’s not in her studio, you might find Melissa cooling off in a swimming hole, rolling out a pie crust in the kitchen or gazing up at the trees in the park dreaming up her next creation. For more information on Melissa Borrell, please see www.melissaborrell.com.
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MEDIA NOTE:
For general press inquiries on Melissa Borrell, please contact the team at Juice Consulting:
Heather Wagner Reed
713 208 3891
Tyler Ostby
210 854 9119