Search

Art

Flash Set Documents the Evolution of an Improvised Craft

08.22.22 | By
Flash Set Documents the Evolution of an Improvised Craft

Large numbers of brightly colored multiples with slight variations are eye-catching, indeed. Through September 9th, you can find Jamie Wolfond’s satisfying Flash Set at Matter Projects. The series by the Toronto-based designer includes nearly 100 cast pieces, each made of gypsum cement and spray paint. There’s also plenty of carved texture to examine, with the series anchored by three shapes: a wall-mounted piece, a large vessel, and a small vessel.

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

Inspired by lichen growing on the shady side of a rock, Flash Set is essentially a domino effect of experimentation that explores this precise moment. Wolfond and team created each piece by hand with a few basic tools, carving away at the gypsum before spray painting each from a hard angle – like a shadow created by the sun. “In the end, the objects are more like still life photos than sculpture, using the impression of light to transform a composition of marks into a picture,” says Wolfond.

Each piece of Flash Set is likened to an experiment, slightly changing the tool, process, or step sequence from the one made before it. In the end, the series represents interconnected ideas and the documenting of the evolution of an improvised craft.

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with hung with small, colorful rectangular-shaped works of art

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

white gallery space with shelves and a table full of bright colorful vessels

row of bright colorful vessels

bright colorful vessels

bright colorful vessels

light-skinned man standing with his arms and legs crossed while leaning against a shelf in the middle of a white gallery space full of colorful vessels

Jamie Wolfond

Flash Set will be at Matter, located at 405 Broome Street New York, NY 10013, through September 9th. To learn more, visit mattermatters.com.

Photography by Sean Davidson.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.