Visiting Innovators

Each year, the Bryan Innovation Lab Visiting Innovators program brings real-world experts to campus and provides educational opportunities for our students and families. On October 6 and 7, the school will welcome Visiting Innovators Audrey Wright and Geoff Robertson. 

On Sunday, October 6, the 21+ Steward community is invited to “Luminous Being,” an evening of creative expression. Seating for this free event is limited; please RSVP. 

The evening will begin at 5 p.m. in the BlackBox Theatre in the Paul R. Cramer Center for the Arts with a performance by Ms. Wright, a violinist with the New York Philharmonic and the concertmaster of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Wright will delight the audience with a multi-sensory performance that includes sound-responsive light art created by Mr. Robertson.

At 6 p.m. in the Bryan Innovation Lab, Mr. Robertson, an artist whose focus is on experimental photography, sculpture, industrial design, and interactive installations, will host the unveiling of one of his recent works, "The Pellet," a sculpture created out of repurposed materials. A reception will follow the unveiling. 

These Visiting Innovators will spend October 7 with Steward students in all divisions. Ms. Wright will perform “Luminous Beings” and she and Mr. Robertson will join students in an exploration of the wonders of art and music.

We caught up with Ms. Wright and Mr. Robertson for a Q&A about their creative endeavors and their collaboration on “Luminous Beings.”

GR: I like to try different approaches to art. For example, in photography, I delve into orchestrated long exposures, different forms of light, and different photography apparatuses. I have an inherent drive to build and create, and that helps me push my boundaries.

AW: My favorite way of performing is to combine and contrast different styles. I love playing ancient music … Baroque is intriguing to me, for example, as it’s different from my daily work with the New York Philharmonic. And through “Luminous Being,” I’ve been inspired to create some of my own music. 

GR: On the one hand, we had personal challenges to learn and overcome. I had to learn about electrical engineering and computer programming … and do this project together with Audrey in our 800-square-foot apartment in Manhattan! There was also the challenge of listening to Audrey’s pieces, interpreting them, coming up with visuals, and creating the light-filled coat she wears during the performance. 

AW: Our collaboration extends beyond purely an artistic one. We’re married, and our creative spaces are blended, so the collab process happens very fluidly and on a constant basis. We bounce ideas off one another no matter what time of day it is. 

AW: The lighted dress creates a kind of aura and brings an element of intimacy to the show. It’s spiritual — almost mystical. I perform in low light so that the dress can illuminate the space. It becomes one with me and there’s a meditative quality to the performance.

AW: For us individually and with “Luminous Beings,” we are thinking of how to communicate with audiences in the most tangible way. There’s so much “noise” in our world – online content, the business of our lives —and so much to comb through. We feel that artistically we can create a moment in “Luminous Beings” that can transcend that, stop time a bit, and have the audience feel connected in a tangible way. In many ways, that’s what all art aspires to do: communicate with an audience in a way that feels palpable. 

GR: It’s a bit more technical for me, dealing with how information gets relayed. As humans we experience audio, visual, and physical influences … human-centered design leverages those. “Luminous Being” includes a dual modality — auditory expression paired with a visual expression — which is a blended form of dialogue.