Mark Joseph Oliver

17' x 6' diameter suspended 15' in the air

wood and paint

The inspiration for this piece came from my desire to create a visual representation of sound, or a fleeting moment; and give enormous prescience to something that exists only for a second. The sculpture is a visual representation of actual soundwaves generated by a rocket ship’s launch into orbit. Taking cues from the architecture with its high ceilings, multiple vantage points, and many windows that invite the outside in, viewers are reminded of the expansive nature of space.

Documentation from a live performance

Viewers can witness a narrative connecting past and present through the installation “Whale Fall:” a completely white boat skeleton resting on the floor of the gallery. The viewer is invited to share in the observation of a location and a history transported. Whale Fall was part of a solo show “Not Here But There” an exhibition of new photography and sculptural work by Mark Joseph Oliver. The pieces in this show explore the role that location serves as a monument to the past, present, and future.

10' x 6' x 16'
Wood, Drywall, Crystal, Paint, Vinyl Siding, and Sod

Cathedral is an exploration of both interior space and exterior space. The work sits in the gallery stairwell which allows the viewer to interact with the top as well as the bottom and interior.  At the top there is a large crystal lodged into a curved ceiling structure. At the bottom of the stairs is a door which opens to a narrow space between two suburban houses. The space is dark at first with the only light source a large star in the sky.  After a few moments a warm light appears inside the window to wash out all night vision and reset the viewer’s “outdoor” experience before turning off again and returning the space to quiet darkness.  The architecture of the curved black cathedral ceiling makes it difficult to sense the height and size of the space, leaving the viewer to contemplate the grass under their feet and distant star in the night sky.

Water, dockwood, pond tarp, grass, pool dye
120’x 24’

Lagoon is a project that is about the transformation of space when bringing the outside world inside. This work takes a normal gallery and transforms it into a dark-watered lagoon. The viewers are invited to take off their shoes and navigate the dark waters. Cold fog rolls out slowly from underneath the dock. As the viewer wades through the water, shimmering reflections cast onto the surrounding gallery walls.

"For Sale or Lease" explores the viewer's sense of belonging through an interactive sculpture and photographic installation.  The full-scale facade of a suburban house bisects the gallery, approachable and familiar in appearance yet closed-off and protected from the viewer.  It is a house that invites yet guards, nurturing inside yet securing from the outside.  In "For Sale or Lease," the viewer toes the line between public and private property. They approach, peer, linger, and in the end, wonder: are they looking inside....or out?

Air Force test bomb, construction materials, dirt, grass,

Delivery (Close to Home) is a reflection upon the effects of war on a civilian population. The “bomb” is an actual test bomb dropped during the 1950’s in Avon Park, Florida by the US Air Force. In this work, the bomb has strayed away from it initial target to land in the front yard of a suburban home.  The viewer enters the gallery to encounter an interior facade with a window that perfectly frames the landing site in the front yard.  This allows the viewer to step into the shoes of the home owner as they navigate the crash site.

5' x 4' x 8'

television, acrylic rods, VCR, VHS, sofa, carpet, carpet pad, lamp

The television plays a spliced video of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and The Searchers (1956).

Walnut, sapele, wire, brass, electricity
4' x 4' x 10"

Charged is a coin-operated lighting machine. The viewer is invited to insert a coin and receive a small bolt of lightning in exchange.

8’ x 1’ x 1’

steel I beam and 150 year old oak beam

Formation is a two-part series consisting of two sculptures each made with a 150 year old oak beam and steel I-beam. These works are a study on historical structural material and the change from wood to iron.

16' x 12" x 10"

Lights, Plexi glass, found objects

Display tells the story of the world through objects both collected and created by the artist. It begins with a fossilized mammoth tooth and a hand-carved walnut Clovis arrowhead. A 1850s ceramic pipe, wooden shipwreck material, 1890s brass camera lens,  1920 letter block, a blue glass bottle and water-polished asphalt complete the narrative of man’s relationship with earth. 

Monopoly houses, train scenery, water, water pump
6’x 3’ x 4’

In this work, the suburban landscape toggles around a rectangular water-filled container. The water falls off the edge, which creates a thunderous sound. The water propels the floating island of suburbia towards the edge where it is suspended at near doom.

Those three men have carried all the resources of art, science, and industry, with that, one can do anything; and you will see that, some day they will come out all right

-Jules Verne From The Earth To The Moon

2012

This is a worked based off the a Jules Verne Novel From the Earth to the Moon written as a science fiction commentary on the post civil war mentality of America.  This work is my direct reflection on Baltimore and how it can reclaim past glory “through art, science, ad industry one can do anything”

Photos by Kim Lierena

Stucco, Black Paint, Acrylic Rods, Black Sand, Wood and Metal

8' x 4' x 8'

This work references the many Renaissance paintings of St. Sebastian, but the saint himself is not present.  Instead the tree is the “martyr” shot full of arrows.  The tree itself borrows its composition from a Goya etching titled the “Disaster of War.”  These juxtaposed references create a haunting reflection on the current state of the environment.

18" x 10" x 6"

steel I Beam and 150 year old oak beam

Formation is a two-part series consisting of two sculptures each made with a 150 year old oak beam and steel I-beam. These works are a study on historical structural material and the change from wood to iron.

Acrylic Rods, resin, television, VCR, carpet, colored lights

The television is installed in such a way to mimic a meteor crash into a basement’s brown carpet.  The television plays a variety of movies from John Wayne classics to Star Wars.

Wood, train scenery, light, peepholes, telescope lens,

The viewer is presented with a crate with several peepholes. Their interaction with the crate is tracked using by a motion sensor hunting camera.

12’ x 12’ x 8’
Wood, drywall, white paint, artificial snow machine

Snow White is a constructed room that contains entirely white walls which curve to mimic the infinite abyss of a snowstorm, while artificial snow floats down from the ceiling.

8’ x 4’ x 4’
Claw machine, monopoly houses, mist generator, squirrel fan

This is a remote-controlled tornado machine. The viewer must put in a quarter in order to maneuver the tornado around the suburban landscape.

Wood, casters, motor, light

A motor drives the room backwards and forwards, pulsating like an earthquake.  This causes the light of the darkened room to constantly change, disorientating the viewer.