Seen in Storage – Matthew Brandt

We are fortunate to have two pieces of Brandt’s work in the collection. Since my first days at Davidson, Gray’s Lake, ID 7, from Lakes and Reservoirs Series, has hung prominently in the E.H. Little Library, and exploring the racks of the collection as a gallery intern, I have always been fascinated by Wai’anae 3751, a unique vertical piece that stands out because of its size, shape, and ambiguity. At first glance, both works appear drastically different in size, appearance, texture, and color. Inherently, they are one in the same.

Brandt’s artistic process is, to put it simply, unique. Brandt photographs a specific landscape, prints a chromogenic print, then proceeds to submerge the print into the landscape of the original photograph. His process conjures questions about the true nature of photographs and perception vs. reality. Gray’s Lake, ID 7 was submerged in the waters of Gray’s Lake in Idaho, and Wai’anae 3751 was buried within the terrain of O’ahu, Hawaii. With this process, Brandt is physically interacting with the landscape, and in return, the actual environment alters the properties of each piece. Upon burial or submersion, Brandt does not know the outcome. The results are varied with eroded-like qualities and textures and prints from the immediate, surrounding environment. It is up to the earth to work its majestic wonder. 

In a way, Brandt’s process can be viewed as a cultivation of the physical landscape in which the print originated. Understood in this manner, Brandt is documenting a moment in time from a specific landscape for generations to come. 

Whether in Idaho or on the shores of Hawaii, Brandt has physically preserved snapshots of an aspect of each environment, and in doing so, he has revealed the importance of stillness, understanding, and preservation amidst constantly changing landscapes. 

Gallery view of Matthew Brandt’s works in Material Matters: Water, Pigment, and Light at the Van Every/Smith Galleries, August 29, 2016— October 7, 2016; Wai’anae 3751 (third piece from right), 2016, Chromogenic print buried in Wai’anae, Hawai’i, 36.5″ x 4.5″, Gallery Purchase during the 2016 Art Acquisition Party with contributions from Malu Alvarez ’02, Jane Avinger, Susan Beaumont, Armando Bellmas, Lydia Bittner-Baird, Chai Lu Bohannan ’14, Elizabeth Bradford, Caroline Brooks ’15, Im Chan, John Christian, Howard Daniel ’72, Dan Drayer, Rosemary Droney, Jennifer Sudul Edwards, Emily Mehta Farlow ’11, Donna Ferguson, John Ferraris, Monica King Friel, Anna Grumman ’19, Kate Hall ’16, Richard C. Halton ’77, Elizabeth Harry ’14, Scott Harry, Stephanie Glaser ’92 & Thomas Hazel ’92, Burkhard Henke, Joan C. Huntley, John David Ike ’13, Caitlin James ’14, Chandra and Jimmie Johnson, Amy Clemmons King ’97, Jamie Knowles ’10, Nan & Bill Loftin ’81, Fred Lopp ’63, Frank Lord ’89, Susan Norman McAlister ’85, Dan McLawhorn ’70 & Rob Hazelgrove, Louise Mohamed, Kate Nation, Sherry Nelson, Ginny Newell ’78, Madeline Newman, Lia Newman, Sara Nordstrand ’14, Elena M. Paul ’85, Annie Porges, Tatum Pottenger ’14, Sara Pottenger ’79, Jeff Prince, Julia Rich ’14, Sam Riehl ’15, Barbara Schreiber, Lucy Sexton ’16, Holly Sinkway, Tom and Kathe Stanley, Elizabeth Stern, Mary Taibl, Brad Thomas, Ian Thomson ’15, Bob Trotman, Linda Vista, and Russ & Lyn Bolen Warren ’83; Photo courtesy of https://matthewbrandt.com/waianae.

Matthew Brandt earned his BFA from Cooper Union and his MFA from UCLA. His work has been shown at prominent institutions, such as the Newark Museum, the Columbus Museum of Art, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, SCAD Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. His work is found in permanent collections across the world. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Learn more about Brandt’s work by browsing through the brochure from Material Matters: Water, Pigment, and Light at the Van Every/Smith Galleries, August 29, 2016 – October 7, 2016.

Emilie Hoke ’21