Belonging to a school of contemporary photographers who have continually pushed the boundaries of the medium, Matthew Brandt incorporates found materials from his surroundings with photos to create unique, multi-media objects. 713447Ful, Manhattan: 50 st.-Lexington Ave, 1910 belongs to Brandt’s 2014 “Dust” series, in which he creates photographic negatives from historic images of New York. He then takes found dust from the present-day landmarks depicted in the images—in this example the corner of East 50th Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan—and mixes it with the bichromate solution from the negatives. The resulting image, coated in the solution and exposed as a contact print, represents the intersection of past and present, both in subject matter and technique, one which extends far beyond the traditional scope of the photography medium. Examples of Brandt’s work can be found in the permanent collections of LACMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hammer Museum, among other renowned institutions.
M + B, Los Angeles
Private Collection, New York