The light from the projector illuminated his salt and pepper beard, long ponytail and his "Where the Wild Things Are" shirt.
Most of all, it showed the excitement in his eyes.
The light also shone on his wife waiting patiently behind her laptop, anticipating the show.
This dynamic duo is married couple Russ Nordman and Jody Boyer, who lectured at Northwest Monday, Oct. 2. They will also leave their video installation art piece at the Olive DeLuce Art Gallery until Nov. 3.
The couple has been planning this event for several months now. Last May, the two came to photograph the gallery, to ensure the piece would fit. Nordman came down two days prior to the lecture to set up the piece, and Boyer joined him on Monday to put on some final touches to the piece.
"We worked right up until 10 minutes before the lecture," Nordman said.
During the lecture both Boyer and Nordman discussed their journey to video art. The two also showed several clips of their art to introduce Northwest students to video art.
After the lecture, the gallery was open for viewing of the art, and discussion with the artists themselves.
"It pushes conceptions. And it's fine if you don't think it's art," Boyer said.
Students wandered around the piece, exploring it, pointing out details, trying to figure it out. The part was comprised of a model train, darting through an old bed, a bridge in a box and its oval track. On the walls, old Super Eight videos flashed, showing shots of weddings and Christmases. Also, video from the front of the train was shown, and students were able to see themselves as part of the art piece.
"It was different approach, not what I was expecting," said junior IDM student Valerie Naas.
Northwest has never shown video art as an exhibit before, so many students' interest had been aroused. Most students admitted to not knowing what video art was, and found the experience to be quite different from usual University exhibits.
"I had seen painting and sculpture installation art before, but never video installation art. It was inspiring," said senior IDM student Brian Kersten.
To Boyer, it is a beneficial experience for students to see that video installation art isn't just in the big cities. She says that video art is not an "out there media" anymore, and it is good for students to see regional artists.
Whether students enjoyed the piece or not, Boyer and Nordman certainly gave them the opportunity to see something new.
"It's unique, I never would have thought of that," said freshman art student Jane Bowness.
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