May 2008
Igniting rocket fuel and blowing up objects to create earth-shattering art are all in a day’s work for Matthew Stromberg, a professor of foundation studies and sculpture at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Stromberg employs rocket fuel, explosives, pyrotechnics and even munitions to manipulate materials such as metal, wood and paper, focusing as much on creation as on the finished pieces.
He started experimenting with energetic materials as artistic media last year, and a SCAD Presidential Fellowship for Faculty Development will give him a boost this summer. The award has helped secure special licensing and also will fund necessary safety training and research.
Stromberg will undergo safety training with Texas-based Explosives Educational Services Inc. Then, in mid-July, he will travel to McEwen, Tenn., to conduct research at the testing facilities of Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC. A manufacturer of explosive compositions and specialty products, the company offers a variety of testing areas with trained personnel and safety managers available at all times.
Stromberg’s creative processes range from sculpting metal panels and stone with sub-machine guns to creating pigment-infused, solid rocket-fuel paint. He said his early drawings with energetic materials remind him of charred eclipses.
“It’s still about mark-making,” he explained. “It’s just like sketching with a pencil and paper, only much faster and with dense smoke. The goal is to create art that inspires and elevates the imagination through the marks and the process.”
Stromberg said the recent birth of his daughter inspired him to experiment with energetic materials. When he considered what advice to give her as she grows up, he decided to tell her to seek out things that make her happy. Applying that principle to his own life, Stromberg began experimenting with energetic materials to make his art fun and adventurous.
Although the use of energetic materials is a relatively novel approach to creating art, it fits within contemporary art trends. Cai Guo-Qiang, a New York-based Chinese artist, is known for drawing with gunpowder and creating awe-inspiring explosion events. Roman Signer of Switzerland uses explosives in “action sculptures” that self-destruct.
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