Core77

Core77 Photo Gallery: Otherworldly - Optical Delusions and Small Realities

By Glen Taylor - June 17, 2011

Exhibition Space (5th Floor) Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities celebrates the resurgence among artists worldwide in constructing small-scale hand built depictions of artificial environments and alternative realities, either as sculpture or as subjects for photography and videos and Memories, and Voyeur/Provocateur.
www.madmuseum.org Glen Jackson Taylor 1 of 66

Canal St. Cross Section A combination of five major pieces built into one box, the street scene is not an exact representation of Canal Street, but rather a combination of existing and fabricated environments. The model took eighteen months to build from start to finish.
Designed by: Alan Wolfson
www.alanwolfson.net/ Glen Jackson Taylor 2 of 66

Trainset Ghetto Artist Peter Feigenbaum's miniature models and the scenes depicted in his photographs are a by-product of the virtual urban spatial realms that defined his teenage experience in the 1990s-virtual realms found in video games ranging from Sim City to Duke Nuke 'Em to Grand Theft Auto. Trainset Ghetto is concerned primarily with hyper-realism with attention to small mundane details depicting a familiar scene of New York that never existed in reality.
Designed by: Peter Feigenbaum
www.peterfeigenbaum.com Glen Jackson Taylor 7 of 66

Diorama for photograph "The Monkey" French photographer Didier Massard spent six months constructing the diorama for his photo series "The Monkey" using styrofoam, layered card, and fur made from darning wool.
Designed by: Didier Massard
www.didiermassard.net/ Glen Jackson Taylor 9 of 66

Diorama for photograph "The Monkey" Side view revealing the 2D layered nature if the set.
Designed by: Didier Massard
www.didiermassard.net/ Glen Jackson Taylor 11 of 66

Model for Beauty Shop Inspired by 1970s films known as "disaster flicks," this model is part of "The City" series by Brooklyn-based photographer Lori Nix. She has imagined a future city, where something either natural or as the result of mankind, has emptied the city of it's human inhabitants.
Designed by: Lori Nix
www.lorinix.net/ Glen Jackson Taylor 12 of 66

The Longest Hours This is the first of artist Rick Araluce's work to integrate sound, lighting, and electronics in one piece. The viewer looks down a long and dimly-lit hallway with doors on each side and an open window at the end looking into endless blackness. All the components including the doors, trim molding, and door hardware were created from scratch.
Designed by: Rick Araluce
web.mac.com/rickaraluce Glen Jackson Taylor 16 of 66

The Longest Hours Built specifically for this exhibition, the five foot long piece is based on an earlier work "The Long Walk' which was just three and a half inches tall.
Designed by: Rick Araluce
web.mac.com/rickaraluce Glen Jackson Taylor 17 of 66

Chuck Close: Summer 2004 A model recreating the studio of Chuck Close from Brooklyn-based sculptor Joe Fig's series "Inside the Painter's Studio."
Designed by: Joe Fig
www.joefig.com Glen Jackson Taylor 18 of 66

Jackson Pollock A table sculpture 8 x 21 x 17 1/2 in. (20.3 x 53.3 x 44.5 cm) depicting Jackson Pollock from Brooklyn-based sculptor Joe Fig's series "Inside the Painter's Studio."
Designed by: Joe Fig
www.joefig.com Glen Jackson Taylor 21 of 66

Self Portrait 2007 For his series of miniatures depicting famous artists studios, artist Joe Fig's research included formal interviews, detailed photographic documentation, and measurements of almost every detail in their space. Included in the series is this Self Portrait of him working on the project.
Designed by: Joe Fig
www.joefig.com Glen Jackson Taylor 23 of 66

Rhinoceros: Tribute to Eugene Lonesco A room housing a rhinoceros as a tribute to the playwright Eugene Ionesco by French artist Charles Matton, who died in 2008 at the age of 77. He began his career as a painter, helped design Esquire magazine in the 1960s, and is renowned for his obsessive miniature spaces.
Designed by: Charles Matton
www.charlesmatton.com/ Glen Jackson Taylor 25 of 66

Bibliotheque Avec le Souvenir d'Anna Obsessed with creating realistic paintings, Matton began building miniature rooms as studies which he soon started building for their own sake. In this box he uses mirrors to create the illusion of a bigger space and a video projection of a figure interacting with the library.
Designed by: Charles Matton
www.charlesmatton.com/ Glen Jackson Taylor 26 of 66

Range Redoubt Canadian design consultancy Propellor returned to their roots as sculptors with the Ranger series. The work explores man-made spaces and the tension between the visible, pristine, natural world and the subterranean built environment hidden within it.
Designed by: Toby Barratt, Pamela Goddard, and Nik Rust
www.propellor.ca/ Glen Jackson Taylor 27 of 66

The Golden-Age Microbrewery A reproduction of a seventeenth-century Dutch tavern owned by the Chadwick Family that recreates a lively bar scene with exaggerated perspective.
Designed by: Jimbo Blanchy and Lytle Shaw
thechadwickfamilypapers.blogspot.com/2010/04/golden-age-microbrewery-dutch-inn.html Glen Jackson Taylor 29 of 66

Violin Repair Shop A diorama for Lori Nix's photographic series "The City" with a meticulously detailed workshop. Her scenes are typically built to be shot from one point of view and she refuses to use Photoshop trickery in post production.
Designed by: Lori Nix
www.lorinix.net/ Glen Jackson Taylor 32 of 66

Diorama for "Peepshow" Canadian artist Jonah Samson's peep-show scene is indicative of his work exploring the dark seedier parts of our past.
Designed by: Jonah Samson
www.littlechickendog.com/ Glen Jackson Taylor 35 of 66

Detail of diorama for "Peepshow" Canadian artist Jonah Samson's peep-show scene is indicative of his work exploring the dark seedier parts of our past.
Designed by: Jonah Samson
www.littlechickendog.com/ Glen Jackson Taylor 36 of 66

Peepshow One of the large format photos shot from the peep-show diorama.
Designed by: Jonah Samson
www.littlechickendog.com/ Glen Jackson Taylor 37 of 66

Discovery of Honey Merging painting with sculpture, artist Richard Stipl and Mat Brown's piece deals with the exploration of the self, tackling the unanswerable questions of the big what "if's" in life.
Designed by: Richard Stipl and Mat Brown
www.madmuseum.org Glen Jackson Taylor 38 of 66

Discovery of Honey Detail Merging painting with sculpture, artist Richard Stipl and Mat Brown's piece deals with the exploration of the self, tackling the unanswerable questions of the big what "if's" in life.
Designed by: Richard Stipl and Mat Brown
www.madmuseum.org Glen Jackson Taylor 39 of 66

Casa Sommacal A street scene model of mid-century Europe by Italian born Paolo Ventura who lives and works in New York. He uses these models to create large format photographs depicting narratives of war and the human condition.
Designed by: Paolo Ventura
www.paoloventura.com Glen Jackson Taylor 40 of 66

Consolidated Life The scene of a seemingly endless corporate office merges the mundane and the spectacular, and is a metaphor for all that is at once immense and insignificant.
Designed by: David Lawrey and Jaki Middleton
www.wayback.net.au/consolidated_life.php Glen Jackson Taylor 41 of 66

Room with Radiator Sculptor, photographer, and performance artist Patrick Jacobs creates dioramas viewed through a peephole revealing secret worlds.
Designed by: Patrick Jacobs
www.patrickjacobs.info Glen Jackson Taylor 43 of 66

Foot & Ass, KFC The model is based on a Foot & Ass Massage place in Beijing, and a KFC in Zhujiajiao. There are videos of prostitutes in a brothel, Chinese sex simulation, and a KFC commercial playing inside with sound. At the base there are some Chinese characters that read "Old habits die hard."
Designed by: Tracey Snelling
www.traceysnelling.com Glen Jackson Taylor 44 of 66

Raspberry Model A diorama by artist and pinhole-photographer Bethany de Forest who works and lives in Amsterdam, click the link to view photos from this model.
Designed by: Bethany de Forest
www.pinhole.nl/pages/pinhole-pictures-studiodioramas/2010/raspberries.php Glen Jackson Taylor 47 of 66

Strange Worlds A homages to the wetlands of the Hackensack River in New Jersey, Matthew Albanese uses a mixture of photographic techniques such as scale, depth of field, white balance and lighting to dramatically change the dioramas appearance.
Designed by: Matthew Albanese
www.matthewalbanese.com Glen Jackson Taylor 49 of 66

Strange Worlds The diorama took seven months to build using painted parchment paper, hand dyed ostrich feathers, carved chocolate, and painstakingly stitching and weaving each barb.
Designed by: Matthew Albanese
www.matthewalbanese.com Glen Jackson Taylor 50 of 66

1 parking Korean artist June Bum Park took mundane footage of cars parking and placed his hands in the video to make it look like a small child playing with matchbox cars.
Designed by: June Bum Park
www.madmuseum.org Glen Jackson Taylor 51 of 66

My Deep SEE Adventure [No 101] Light artist Chris Levine is constantly experimenting with technology and the way the human eye sees light. His installation uses 2 strips of LED lights that come alive when you move your head sharply from side to side revealing an eye and the word SEE.
Designed by: Chris Levine
www.chrislevine.com/ Glen Jackson Taylor 52 of 66

Everything is Important and Nothing Matters at All Dealing with the concepts of perception and distortion, Mariele Neudecker's work is informed by the idea of continuous change and permanence in the landscape.
Designed by: Mariele Neudecker
www.marieleneudecker.co.uk Glen Jackson Taylor 54 of 66

Man with Axe Mixed media artist Liliana Porter's sculpture depicts a scene made from objects, toys and figurines found in flea markets, antique stores, and other odd places.
Designed by: Liliana Porter
www.lilianaporter.com Glen Jackson Taylor 56 of 66

i3DG_Palm Top Theatreque i3DG is a small attachment for the iPhone that converts its 2D display into a layered 3D view without the aid of 3D glasses.
Designed by: Jitsuro Mase and Tom Nagae
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=na-R4rZkzH0 Glen Jackson Taylor 59 of 66

The Wreck of Hope (Tribute to Friedrich) The Wreck of Hope is a tribute to the German 19th century Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. It is a 3D reproduction of his famous painting in the kind of barrel that is used nowadays as a standard measure for petroleum.
Designed by: Guy Laramee
www.guylaramee.com Glen Jackson Taylor 60 of 66

The Studio Housed in a small travel case, viewers peek through a small peephole and trigger a switch to illuminate the interior. Inside we see a door at the end of dank corridor featuring a round porthole window that echos the peephole on the side of the case.
Designed by: Michael C. McMillen
www.netropolitan.org/mcmillen/mcmillenmain.html Glen Jackson Taylor 62 of 66

Held within what hung open and made to lie without escape Gregory Euclide (who did the cover art for Bon Iver's latest album) is interested in the juxtaposition of materials and how they can hold multiple meanings. In this diorama-like work the materials are either from the land, represent the land or reference the art making process.
Designed by: Gregory Euclide
www.gregoryeuclide.com Glen Jackson Taylor 64 of 66

Exhibition Space (5th Floor) Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities is organized around four themes: Unnatural Nature, Apocalyptic Archaeology, Dreams and Memories, and Voyeur/Provocateur.
www.madmuseum.org Glen Jackson Taylor 65 of 66

"Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities" now showing at The Museum of Arts and Design in New York presents an eclectic range of dioramas, models, and site specific installations alongside photographs and video created from the hand-built works. At first glance the exhibition feels like stepping onto a set you might expect to find in a stop animation studio with beautifully detailed miniature scenes constructed in unapologetic functional boxes—only intended to be viewed through a camera lens inside and up close. The style of work included varies dramatically with curator David Revere McFadden making a connection between art, craftsmanship, design, and visual imaging as the common thread. To help visitors understand the exhibition, it's organized into four themes:

Unnatural Nature Features work by artists that recreate natural environments or propose alternative visions of landscape and nature.

Apocalyptic Archaeology Features works that reveal the darker side of the post-industrial landscape and the time-infused eroding urban environment.

Dreams and Memories Includes works that capture and convey states of psychological angst, often in the form of dark and mysterious open-ended narratives.

Voyeur/Provocateur Includes subversively witty scenes-satirical commentaries on art, culture, and politics.

While the multiple concepts of illusion are delightful in this exhibition, Core readers will immediately have an affinity with the painstakingly crafted dollhouses, theatrical sets, maquettes, and architectural models on display, mostly built to serve as photographic models. Work such as Alan Wolfson's Canal St. Cross Section is a stunning example of a stand alone miniature with working lights, secret view points and incredible detailing.

Other highlights include Joe Fig's meticulous replica of Chuck Close's art studio, The Violin Repair Shop by Lori Nix, Consolidated Life by David Lawrey and Jaki Middleton, and lighting designer Chris Levine's My Deep SEE Adventure [No 101]. At the museums request we were unable to shoot Mat Collishaw's mechanized zoetrope Garden of Unearthly Delights, a mesmerizing installation which you can see in this video.

The exhibition runs through September 18th, 2011, and is well worth a visit if you're in New York this summer.

Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities Museum of Arts and Design 2 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019 212-299-7777

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