Lewis Colburn

Lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Artist statement

I make complex, hypothetical systems and assemblies, drawing from the monuments and sculptural forms of the past, and the physical infrastructure and built environment of our present. I work across digital and manual processes, whether fabricating and modeling by hand, capturing 3D scans myself, or pulling from the dizzying virtual ‘cast hall’ of 3D scans available online, echoing the endless plaster copies made from classical statuary. These copies and artifacts become components of larger improvised structures, akin to exploded views of our histories and our built environment. Each element is placed deliberately but precariously as these makeshift systems cycle, move, leak and teeter on the edge of failure. Together, the works reflect on the inadequacies of our existing narratives, ideologies and infrastructure in a moment of accelerating change and rupture.

Artwork

• Pedestal with Figure and Array (Diagram for the Law of Contagion), 2026. Pine, walnut, plywood, aluminum, brass, copper, acrylic, cast and polished urethane, steel mesh salvaged form server racks, d6, broadhead arrow parts, pewter orc miniature, lamp finials, found modified hammer, stone from Lake Superior, dollhouse parts, horn, emergency stop, ormolu, plaster anatomical figure salvaged from a defunct art school, CPU fans, power supply, wire and hardware.
• Apparition with Omens and Small Array, 2025. Gypsum cement, cardboard, gauze, replica frock coat, leather, electrical and electronic components, salvaged plywood, mortar, aluminum, brass, steel, ratchet strap, C-clamps, cymbal, stones from Lake Superior, bronze coathook arms, ball bearings, d6, lamp finial, nylon eyebolt, arrowhead, valve spring, jewelry chain, and hardware.
• Essays for an Architectural Love Letter (After Christopher Alexander), 2026. Walnut, fir, oak, cherry, pine, jatoba, plywood, acrylic, paper, enamel, copper pipe, plywood door painted by the City of Philadelphia, C-clamp, portion of a brass sculpture made by my father, plaster anatomical leg from an art school, salvaged molding and plywood, copy of A Pattern Language inscribed by my sister.
• Architectural Study 1 (Diagram for Solitude), 2025. Salvaged alley gate, HO scale model loading dock, pewter pitcher, copper, brass, aluminum, steel, cherry, salvaged pine, acrylic and hardware.
• Provisional System IV (A Very Human Impulse), 2024. Walnut, birch, basswood, honey locust, plywood, aluminum, copper, brass, steel, cast iron drainpipe, expansion cell tank, funnel, Chroma-Key paint, C-clamps, graphite, water pump, pneumatic tubing, plumbing, electrical and electronic components.
• Provisional System III (Waiting for the Flood), 2024. Oak, copper, brass, aluminum, found objects (concrete fragment, cast-glass hand, 3D printer components, brass lamp, plumb bob and copper mug), and hardware.
• Anxious Machine (A Diagram Stiffly Waiting for Relief), 2024. Salvaged pine, basswood, walnut, marble, brass, aluminum, copper, electrical and electronic components, coral, air pump, server rack components, iron gate brace, plumb bob, miniature chain, C-clamps, polyurethane tubing and fittings.
• A Fallible Adapter (After the Rock Drill), 2023. Salvaged pine, concrete, aluminum, brass, found 3D printer components, electronics, various tanks, plumbing components, slate, marble, LEDs and computer case fan.
• This Was Never a Good Idea in the First Place, 2023. Plywood, epoxy clay, gypsum cement, walnut, brass, steel, aluminum and copper.
• A Haunting Imperative (Bad News and Brittle Systems), 2023. Various woods, aluminum, steel, brass, salvaged copper, emergency blankets, electrical and electronic components.
• Two Bearded Men Prop Up a Precarious System, 2021. Various woods, aluminum, brass, concrete, gypsum cement, acrylic, salvaged iron gate and 19th century photograph.
• Provisional System (Sacrifice Zone Pumping Station), 2022. Various woods, steel, aluminum, brass, epoxy, electronic, electrical and plumbing components, and found objects.
• A Fountain for a Dark Future, 2021. Aluminum, plywood, pine, fiberglass-reinforced plaster, cellulose sponges, electronic components, containment trays and plumbing components.
• A Fountain for a Dark Future (video documentation), 2021. Aluminum, plywood, pine, fiberglass-reinforced plaster, cellulose sponges, electronic components, containment trays and plumbing components.
• Disposable Monument II (After The Boys Who Wore Gray), 2021. Polymer modified gypsum, graphite, aluminum, polypropylene and pine.
• There Are No Miracles Here (Laocoon/Flamethrower), 2020. Various woods, aluminum, brass, polymer modified gypsum and found objects.
• Dumb Heroic Gestures, 2020. Various woods, concrete, steel, Bondo, nylon, tarp, and found objects.
• Eternity Goes Up On Trial, 2019. Steel, brass, various woods, lintless glove, slide of Isamu Noguchi’s Koros, pocketknife and spring clamp.