Adam Rose
Celestial Bodies
About
Adam Rose is a photographer and lighting designer based in New York City. Stepping away from the prevailing theatrical notion that art must have meaning, Adam creates works for the sole purpose of beauty and pleasure. Drawing upon seven years of theatrical lighting experience, model making, and stage magic, he uses light as both paint and brush to color white sculptures and create photographs that expand the viewer's understanding of how light can be used.
Celestial Bodies
Celestial Bodies utilizes simple lighting and form to explore color value while evoking the wonder of a planetary event.
A smooth white sphere rests on a white piece of paper. A single light source is diffused to create soft shadows and placed at a 45° angle to the sphere. Scraping just off the ground, a second light is set on the other side. It is focused using lenses and blades to sculpt the light around a tiny sliver of the shadowed side of the sphere and provide a sharp contrasting edge to the opposite side where the values of the color threaten to blend the edge.
Divided Color Fields
An exploration of color applied through light, Divided Color-fields examines what happens when two fields of color are interrupted by a third block of color.
These color fields are created by photographing a three-dimensional white paper model and using light to paint color onto the surface. The color of the xenon source light is modified by theatrical lighting gels and lenses, blades, black foil, mirrors, and diffusion fabrics, which are used to alter the beam.
Through meticulously placed camera and lighting angles, the three-dimensional model appears flattened. Without shadow and edge, the viewer’s brain struggles to see the depth present in the image.
Each image is printed onto aluminum through a dye-sublimation process. The print is then flush mounted to a hand-crafted white wooden frame. Sintra backing is affixed to the aluminum, and a cutout window shows the piece's title, size, edition number, and artist’s signature permanently marked on the back of the metal.
