NOTEWORTHY ARTIST: Marcus Tremonto

What is light?

Such a broad question, with many possible answers, but my favorite amongst them would have to be a quote from Michael Strassfeld:

Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space.  It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe.  It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished. 

 

The piece featured above is by an artist by the name of Marcus Tremonto. An American light designer, Tremonto is often called, "a magician of light." Many of his works feature manipulated strands of cool burning electroluminescent wires, which he molds into both traditional and abstract shapes.

The most intriguing thing about his works to me is their overall aesthetic, how they seem to glow with the fluorescence of neon yet consume little to no power to operate. I also enjoy the way that in some of his works, particularly the installment he did in the Paper Landscapes series, how he draws "inspiration from outdated technologies used to generate topographic digital landscapes."

The fact that this artist has somewhat of a sense of humor is also very refreshing for me. This side of his work can be seen in a somewhat recent collaboration that he did with MUNNY. Seen below.

In terms of comparison to another light artist, I believe that Marcus Tremonto most similarly resembles artist, Dan Flavin. Each of these artists captures light in a way that gives the essence of neon fluorescent lights. However, Flavin tends to take a much more symmetrical approach when constructing his works. Their works can be compared below.

Dan Flavin

Marcus Tremonto