Tamar Frank Light Art Installations
Introducing Tamar Frank
As many people live their daily lives, they seldom stop to think about the magic that surrounds them, shaping the way they see the world. In many cases, the beauty of our world is dictated by light, it impresses us by reflecting off of water, coloring the clouds during sunset, or twinkling like the stars and city lights at twilight. Using her extraordinary talents and sensibilities, Tamar Frank crafts site-specific light art installations that not only intrigue, but engage the public.
“Light is everything for me since it is the medium I work with. I see it as the source of our visual perception. I like to study it in a way to bring new awareness on how this influences the way we relate to our environment and how we physically and subconsciously orient ourselves.”
The unique properties of light, its intangibility, its range of colors, have the power to immediately captivate us. This power can completely change an architectural space, and is the focus of Tamara Frank’s light art installations. She has created iconic pieces in parks, under bridges, on skyscrapers, and at art museums. There is usually a subtle unexpectedness when encountering her art in public places, which makes it even more memorable. If viewers are not surprised by the way her light arrangement has changed the space entirely, they will be drawn to the enchanting lighting effect itself.
Her Story
Tamar Frank was born in Amsterdam and also started her professional career in her home country of the Netherlands. First, she studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Maastricht, specializing in topics such as creative therapy and monumental design. Since the beginning, she has both worked in fine art gallery settings and urban art spaces, creating wall light art to be hung, as well as immersive installations. She utilizes the latest in lighting technology along with physical elements that interact with light, such as thread, fishing line, and phosphorescent pigment, to create a never-before-seen artistic style.
“I see the development in light technology as a possibility to further implement ideas that might not have been possible before. It is interesting to work together with innovative light companies that are open to trying out and developing new light forms. […] To me technology only brings more opportunity in my work.”
There is an organic mixture of the natural world and the scientific world in her light art installations, as she considers each piece in terms of both natural and artificial light and is often inspired by nature. She uses advanced lighting technology, but not just for gimmicky special effects. Her work always opens up a mystical world that only slightly embellishes upon the magic already present in the world we know—the magic of luminosity. The result is public light art installations that have the ability to elicit a range of interpretations and feelings from their viewers, an important characteristic that should be present in all great art.