Orbit 3

"I have set out to investigate illusions that transform the viewer’s perception of actual space in a synthesis of the real and the virtual."—Jennifer Steinkamp. Though Jennifer Steinkamp is often referred to as a video artist, her process begins with drawing. For Orbit 3, she started with several sketches of different leaves and branches, then loaded them into her computer. There, she digitally manipulated each leaf and branch in three dimensions. After carefully crafting the progression of each component, she projects the lively sequence onto a blank wall. Viewers experience the changing seasons in a space-time continuum that is impossible on our gravity-bound planet Earth. Steinkamp’s work implies that even with continued technological advancement, nature can still be mysterious, awe-inspiring, and eternally relevant.