International artist brings mesh to life.

Renowned US artist Lanny Bergner’s amazing metal mesh creations will challenge perceptions in a new exhibition, Life in the Universe, opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery in July.

Created using industrially-woven bronze, brass, aluminum and stainless steel mesh, silicone, wire and glass frit, the works in Life in the Universe seem to float ethereally, mimicing living organisms

A mixed-media sculptor, installation, fibre and sculptural-basketry artist, Lanny works with linesman pliers and a cutting shear to create his work, using simple joining techniques to transform mesh into semi-transparent organic structures, vessels and geometric constructions.

His recent work employs pyrography techniques to ‘flame paint’ abstract imagery onto stainless steel mesh using a propane torch, which he then turns into sculptures and multiple-forms wall and room installations.

Lanny says that biomorphic forms, such as those found in plant biology, micro-organisms and viruses, inspired the making of the suspended screens and wall installations in Life in the Universe.

“Musings about extraterrestrial life and cosmology also informed the work,” he explains. “They engage the viewer with glimpses into a world where nature and man-made material coalesce and celebrate the mystery and wonder of it all.”

Lanny, who was born in Anacortes, Washington in 1952,  has been creating biomorphic and geometric constructions and installations out of metal mesh since 1983.

Life in the Universe opens 6-8pm on 21 July and is on show from 20 July- 14 August.