The Wonder Under: Photographic Cabinets of Curiosity

Posted on December 21, 2015 by mattjensen12345

The Wonder Under: Photographic Cabinets of Curiosity

550 c-prints, pins, linen, wood

The Wonder Under: Photographic Cabinets of Curiosity is a site-specific installation at 99 Plymouth Street in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The first step of the project was to visit the park construction sites, to walk all the finished paths of the park and spend time along the shore at low tide. During these visits I built a collection of objects all found in plain site. There were unbelievable discoveries like fragments of arrowheads, stone tools and obsidian points. I found dozens of artifacts from the 1800s: pieces of porcelain, glass and pottery, copper and bronze objects, and countless pieces of coal. I also collected contemporary castoffs of wood, foam, plastic, rubber and various pieces of automobiles that have fallen from the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Each object was then photographed, printed on c-paper, and carefully hand cut. The final collection of over 550 photographs was organized and pinned onto linen displays that were built out from the walls. The arrangements of objects reference the vitrines one might find in a museum, but with twists to logic and order that leave room for interpretation.

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A Collection of Walks (or How to Walk to Earth)

Posted on December 21, 2015 by mattjensen12345

A Collection of Walks (or How to Walk to Earth)

The Golden Record on the 1977 Voyager Spacecraft contains a simple graphic and code that will allow a distant alien race to locate Earth. I used the graphic and the space race-inspired ethos of the second World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park to design a series of 14 walks from various points throughout New York City to the Unisphere in front of the Queens Museum. The routes were as far away as Greenwood Cemetery and as close as the 111th Street 7 Train platform. The project was developed as part of a residency at the Queens Museum in conjunction with ArtBuilt mobile studios. Over the course of a month I walked each of the routes and also devoted time to studying the history of area landscapes. While walking I generated a collection of found objects, took hundreds of photographs, and kept a travel log. At the end of a month I turned the studio into a walk-in cabinet of curiosities that was open to the public. Over the following months I contextualized the experiences, objects and photographs into a finished installation, a walker’s guide and artist book.

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Traffic Cam Sunrise

Posted on December 21, 2015 by mattjensen12345

Traffic Cam Sunrise

50 C-prints, 18’’ x various

The 50-image series follows the sun as it rises across the United States on a single winter morning. Each photograph was taken from a traffic camera installed and streamed online by the respective state agency. Some states have hundreds of traffic cameras while others might only have a dozen. The image quality, aspect ratios and digital artifacts vary from system to system. It was the evocative, melancholy atmosphere of the landscape as seen through this lens that moved me to create the series; a lonely stretch of highway, an empty country road, a distant mountain peak, headlights through the frost, magenta light on a snow-drifted field, and my second-hand digital experience of it all.

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YOU ARE THE CENTER OF SOMETHING

Posted on December 21, 2015 by mattjensen12345

YOU ARE THE CENTER OF SOMETHING

Wood, paint, reflective sand, participation

YOU ARE THE CENTER OF SOMETHING is an affirmation made visible. The piece uses readily available materials and abandoned paved lots to create a positive, transformative experience out of walking and seeing. The work has been installed recently as part of the Aurora Festival in Dallas, Texas, and the InLight Festival at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. As participants approach the sign and walk through the seemingly empty parking lot, they soon notice that their shadows are surrounded by light. On a sunny day a perfect rainbow will surround one’s shadow. At night, under a single bright bulb, a halo of white light will surround one’s shadow. Everyone can see your shadow but only you can see your halo. The installation is an optical demonstration layered with the poetics of being.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park: Public Work

Posted on December 3, 2015 by mattjensen12345

The Wonder Under is on long term view at 99 Plymouth Street in Brooklyn Bridge Park as part of their new public art series. A huge installation of over 550 hand-cut photographs. The entire exhibit can be seen here: The Wonder Under

YOU ARE THE CENTER OF SOMETHING (on exhibit in Dallas)

Posted on November 15, 2015 by mattjensen12345

Thrilled to have work be a part of the Aurora Festival in Dallas, Texas. Curated by a fantastic team and special thanks to Julia Kaganskiy and Tim Goossens.

If you want to see all the install and action pictures: YOU ARE THE CENTER OF SOMETHING

And here is the link to the festival: Aurora