Flash Set is an exhibition by Toronto-based Jamie Wolfond Studio of work created from an experimental process. The resulting series of colorful vessels and wall panels fill the interior gallery space at Matter and number over a hundred individual pieces.

This body of work started with an observation. I noticed a boulder which had lichen growing on it, but only where the sun could not reach. The result was a frozen shadow, a fixed image which would always imply the direction from which the sun originally hit the rock, even after the sun went down.

Jamie Wolfond

The basis for these pieces are flat wall panels and hexagon shaped vessels made of gypsum cement into which patterns were carved. Some very regular and others completely random. To create the frozen shadow effect, spray paint was applied at a slight angle to the surface to emphasize the relief. The effect somewhat translates in photographs but it’s much more striking in person.

Some of the pieces combine fluorescent hues of contrasting colors resulting in a surreal photoshop-filter look. What’s particularly interesting about this collection is the way that paint enhances or breaks how light reacts with surfaces. While this work is completely analog, it’s not too much of a stretch to see parallels to how textures are enhanced in 3D rendering with the use of gradient normal maps.

Photos and Text: Dave Pinter