"How do materials carry light?” is the question artist Ben K. Foley, the brain behind Glitchfield's sculptural design, seeks to answer. This curiosity births a world of sculptures and illusions that successfully combine art, science, and math to create an otherworldly experience for viewers to enjoy.
Foley’s journey into art started with a degree in architecture. The realization came, after a while, that he could execute his desired visions through a much smaller, more approachable scale. His work became less rigid. Projects were faster and easier to complete. “You can end up making a lot of things you can imagine,” he explains, “without having to go all the way to the max.” Thus his deviation toward sculpture began.
Each artist has their own creative process. For Foley, his begins with looking for “a snippet of the natural world” that he can “capture in a bottle” in a sculptural way. For example, the Northern Lights. Then his drafting process begins. Math, physics, and continuous manipulation of specific materials help him create his desired design. “It’s basically nerding out about one particular material, this one particular thing, that is unique in and of itself, you know?” His most often used materials, including glass, plastic and wood, are all meant to enhance his main medium—light. Additionally, most of his work is done at night, when it is easier to experience his sources to their full potential. His methods are not unlike Allison Tanenhaus and her Glitch creations. He too is experimenting his way into a design, using each new reaction and unexpected outcome to reveal the heart of his sculpture.
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Glitchfield (infinity box), 2016–2022
Ben K. Foley + Allison Tanenhaus
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Glitchfield, a three-dimensional illusory experience now on display at the McIninch Art Gallery, is not the first Foley has used his infinity mirror box. Originating in 2016, this design—then titled Mountains Beyond Mountains—featured a patch of fresh growing grass, motion sensors, and clever armatures to create the illusion of a rolling hill as the viewers traversed the gallery space. It has since then seen many iterations and contents, including crystal glass and neon lights. Currently, as part of GlitchKraft, this design showcases the best qualities of Bent/Haus—the captivating combination of Foley and Tanenhaus’ works—by pairing his intricate, mathematical designs with her modern and eye-catching graphics. “It can be a simple illusion,” he says, “that is still really powerful.”
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Mountains Beyond Mountains |
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With a medium as fluid as light, it bears asking—what challenges might one face? In comparison to other materials, Foley remarks, light is actually quite the efficient source. “It can be one of the most effective ways to fill a space,” he says. “Light is weightless, light is formless, light is not dangerous.” It allows him to take a gallery and create this surreal, illusory landscape within a matter of seconds.
Those perception-altering experiences are crucial to Foley’s ethos. “The visceral idea of play is a huge part of my work.” For that very reason, some of his favorite projects are ones that are most interactive. Paradigm, for example, is a glass structure similar to that of the mirror box, in which the continual projection and refraction of a moving laser creates a visual representation of the Big Bang. Viewers entering this space instantly become part of the installation, as their senses trick them into questioning—where does the sculpture end and where do I begin?
Another favorite, The Alchemist, a hologram from 2014, is made completely out of materials from Home Depot. This illusion, appropriately dubbed ‘the orb’, is a floating three-dimensional sphere hovering above the black box it is projected from. This projection serves as yet another example of Foley’s sculptures successfully suspending the viewer’s perception of reality. The viewer begins to question their senses, and in turn, their understanding of the world.
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At the end of the day, Ben Foley excels at creating works that ask the viewer to consider their surroundings. To think about those things that are often taken for granted. “Ideally,” he says, “if you were to see my work as an adult, I want you to have the same exact reaction as if a child were to see it. To ask—how does this work?”
Come visit the McIninch Art Gallery and experience Glitchfield in person!
Written by Rachel Willoughby,
Social Media Manager, McIninch Art Gallery
Images Ⓒ Ben K. Foley
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Celebrating 20 years of the McIninch |
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For more information on the McIninch Art Gallery, make sure to visit our website! Here, you can access our current exhibitions and links to explore virtual shows, educational videos, podcasts, and webinars. |
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The McIninch Art Gallery, administered by the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education at Southern New Hampshire University, provides first-hand experiences in the arts through collections, exhibitions, and diverse programs designed to support the university curriculum and enhance public engagement with fine art. |
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2500 North River Rd
Manchester, NH
Gallery Hours:
10 am - 3 pm, Mon through Sat.
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