Blog Post 2: Jen Stark

The first time I ever heard of Jen Stark was around 2014, she was hosting a show in Miami at the time. My family and I just happened to be in the same neighborhood as the show and decided to go check it out. Inside the gallery we were met with colors in a way I had never seen before. Her work was sculptural, colorful, geometric but also abstract? It reminded me of the impact artist Yayoi Kusama with her infinity rooms. I remember being enthralled by the work but very sadly forgot to write down the name of the artist. Her exhibit in Miami featured very detailed paper sculptures, what I assumed were metal wall pieces and beautifully colorful and vibrant murals. Like Kusama, she seemed to take a lot of inspiration from nature, a lot of her work is meant to imitate tree rings, microorganisms and optical illusions to emulate the sensation of her work “melting”. It wasn’t until many years later that I found her again. I was riding the subway with my girlfriend and noticed an advertisement that I hadn’t seen before, I immediately recognized the patterns. Stark was bringing an exhibit to NYC. I bought tickets as soon as I got out of the station. I went a few weeks earlier. I thought the design thinking behind it would be perfect for this post. This exhibit was very different from the one I saw in Miami. For this show Stark collaborated with digital visual artists to create a one of a kind experience; Cascade features animations of her art in interactive and grand scale over 6,000 sq ft. The exhibit is completely interactive, the walls come to life as you go, the hypnotic projections and mind bending murals. This quote by the artist herself explains some of her thinking through creation: “ I love thinking about how enormous shapes out in the universe can have the same patterns as tiny microorganisms under a microscope. How geometric shapes and certain spiraling patterns apply to designs in nature big and small”. When projected at that scale her artworks takes a whole different effect, the combination of the imagery and sounds displayed truly make you feel like you’re walking through artwork. I love the fact that she chose to change her medium so drastically for the exhibit too. In design thinking I have learnt that some of the best work comes from being able to let go of preconceptions and trying something new. To be quite honest, I found out that it was a “digital” exhibit right after I rushed into buying the tickets and was kind of disappointed… I have been to other “digital” exhibitions notably the “Van Gogh Experience” and have often felt underwhelmed. I was very pleased with the quality and dedication that was put into this exhibit a will recommend it to anyone!