Bound – 12″ x 16″ photo print
A couple of weeks ago, D was invited by the Brooklyn based shop UncommonGoods to peruse their art collection here. While window shopping the gallery, I stumbled upon these magical micro world photographs by artist Audrey Heller and immediately knew it was a must share.
Ascent – 12″ x 16″ photo print
Formally educated in Theater Arts (1984) and Performance Studies (1987), the San Francisco based Heller spent much of the first act of her career as a theater lighting designer and director. In 1991, as a personal side project, Heller became interested in photo documenting the small often overlooked details of our world, as if they were full scale terrains. In a search for miniature objects with which to populate her scenes, Heller stumbled upon a manufacturer of the high quality model train figurines which she has cast exclusively as the actors in her micro worlds ever since.
Shots taken at Heller’s studio offering a glimpse into her process.
Today, Heller works full time as an artist, parlaying many of her theater born skills into the set direction and lighting of her small scenes. The result is a collection of images that invites a a deep sense of childlike wonder, matched by the irresistible question of what their deeper philosophical messages might be.
A little sense of scale – behind the scenes at Heller’s studio
To view more works by Audrey Heller, I invite you to visit the art gallery at UncommonGoods here.
More behind the scenes action.
Founded in 1999, UncommonGoods is an online marketplace filled with a curated selection of truly unique and, uncommon items. Over half of the product line is made by hand, with holdings that range from beautifully crafted wooden skateboards to the world’s most adorable felt baby slippers and just about everything in between. A portion of every UncommonGoods sale is donated to one of four non-profit organizations. Business with a social conscience… something the world could always use a little more of.
Photography by Audrey Heller courtesy of the UncommonGoods Art Gallery here and Blog here.
