Work samples

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    01_visarts_galleryview1.jpg
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    04_visarts_detail-2.jpg
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    03__sitedrawing_size.scale_3.jpg
  • installation3 alt view.jpg
    installation3 alt view.jpg

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About Leah

Baltimore County
Leah Cooper is an artist who is captivated by the everyday. Her focus often narrows to the smallest of cracks on the sidewalk and the faintest of shadows on the wall. Using contextually dependent installation she explores an expanded notion of drawing that questions where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. She is an avid observer, a determined thinker, a purposeful maker, and an artist who designates a piece successful when it has generated more questions, rather than illustrated a single answer.
 
Leah received her MFA from Maryland Institute… more

site drawing_ size & scale

'site drawing_ size & scale'
Montpelier Art Center
Laurel, Md

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.
 
Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality?  And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world? In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object.  Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece? And if so, could the experience extend beyond the act of participation and prompt the viewer to begin to see their once familiar surroundings in a new way?
  • 03__sitedrawing_size.scale_3.jpg
    03__sitedrawing_size.scale_3.jpg
  • 04__sitedrawing_size.scale_4.jpg
    04__sitedrawing_size.scale_4.jpg
  • 02_sitedrawing_size.scale_2.jpg
    02_sitedrawing_size.scale_2.jpg
  • 01_sitedrawing_size.scale_2.jpg
    01_sitedrawing_size.scale_2.jpg
  • 04__sitedrawing_size.scale_4.jpg
    04__sitedrawing_size.scale_4.jpg
  • 01_sitedrawing_size.scale_2.jpg
    01_sitedrawing_size.scale_2.jpg

Drawing the Undifferientiated

VisArts
Rockville, Md

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.

Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality? And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world?

In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece?
  • 01_visarts_galleryview1.jpg
    01_visarts_galleryview1.jpg
  • 02_visarts_detail-1.jpg
    02_visarts_detail-1.jpg
  • 03_visarts_galleryview2.jpg
    03_visarts_galleryview2.jpg
  • 04_visarts_detail-2.jpg
    04_visarts_detail-2.jpg
  • 05_visarts_galleryview3.jpg
    05_visarts_galleryview3.jpg
  • 06_visarts_detail-3.jpg
    06_visarts_detail-3.jpg

projection room

'projection room'
Leidy Gallery
Baltimore, Md

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.
 
Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality?  And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world? In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object.  Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece? And if so, could the experience extend beyond the act of participation and prompt the viewer to begin to see their once familiar surroundings in a new way?
  • installation3 alt view.jpg
    installation3 alt view.jpg
  • installation3.jpg
    installation3.jpg
  • 11_ProjectionRoom_3.jpg
    11_ProjectionRoom_3.jpg

a narrow gate

'a narrow gate'

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.

Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality? And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world?

In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece?
  • a narrow gate
    a narrow gate
    installation detail
  • a narrow gate
    a narrow gate
    installation detail
  • a narrow gate
    a narrow gate
    gallery detail
  • a narrow gate
    a narrow gate
    installation detail
  • a-narrow-gate_web.jpg
    a-narrow-gate_web.jpg
  • a narrow gate
    a narrow gate
    installation detail
  • a narrow gate
    a narrow gate
    gallery detail

Indexical drawings

June/July 2013
ART342 Residency
Ft Collins, CO

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.

Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality? And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world?

In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece?
  • garage_final_dtl1.jpg
    garage_final_dtl1.jpg
  • garage_final_dtl2.jpg
    garage_final_dtl2.jpg
  • garage_final_dtl3.jpg
    garage_final_dtl3.jpg
  • garage_final1.jpg
    garage_final1.jpg
  • cutout_final_dtl2.jpg
    cutout_final_dtl2.jpg
  • final cutout video detail
  • cutout_final_dtl3.jpg
    cutout_final_dtl3.jpg
  • cutout_final.jpg
    cutout_final.jpg

Notation drawings

ART342 Residency
June/July 2012
Ft Collins, CO

I employ drawing as a strategy to investigate the influence of visual information on a viewer?s subjective perception of object and place. I work outside the traditional notion of drawing, nominating rather than rendering a variable framework of information. Traditionally drawing is considered to be a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional. Most often it is a depiction that is once removed from the experience of the object or place it describes. What if drawing was liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead was employed as a strategy whose tactics might include, nomination, illustration, and notation and a strategy where materials could move beyond the standard mark makers and paper. Within this context, two dimensions would no longer be the boundary that defines drawing.

The resulting installations are contextually dependent and ask the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object aims to create a heuristic state of affairs; asking the viewer to complete the piece.
  • rope6combo_sm.jpg
    rope6combo_sm.jpg
  • ropecombo.jpg
    ropecombo.jpg
  • rope7b_combo.jpg
    rope7b_combo.jpg
  • rope7.jpg
    rope7.jpg
  • rope3combo_sm.jpg
    rope3combo_sm.jpg
  • rope3_sm.jpg
    rope3_sm.jpg
  • rope2_sm.jpg
    rope2_sm.jpg
  • void4.jpg
    void4.jpg
  • void3.jpg
    void3.jpg
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    void1_sm.jpg

Iterated, Gallery 4-Part A

Sondheim Finalist Exhibition
Baltimore Museum of Art

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.

Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality? And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world?

In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece?
  • installation_detail 1
    installation_detail 1
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • gallery view
    gallery view
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • installation detail
    installation detail
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • gallery view
    gallery view
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • installation detail
    installation detail
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • installation detail
    installation detail
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • installation detail
    installation detail
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • gallery view
    gallery view
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • installation detail
    installation detail
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements
  • gallery view
    gallery view
    materials include tape, mirror, graphite, graphite/relief drawings on masonite, and existing site elements

iterating the ordinary

Meyerhoff Gallery, MICA
Baltimore, Md

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.

Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality? And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world?

In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece?
  • lcooper_iteration7_dtl2.jpg
    lcooper_iteration7_dtl2.jpg
  • iteration 2_detail,2009
    iteration 2_detail,2009
  • lcooper_iteration8.jpg
    lcooper_iteration8.jpg
  • 05_lcooper.jpg
    05_lcooper.jpg
  • iteration 3_detail,2009
    iteration 3_detail,2009
  • lcooper_iteration5_dtl2.jpg
    lcooper_iteration5_dtl2.jpg
  • iteration 5_detail ,2009
    iteration 5_detail ,2009
  • iteration1_detail,2009
    iteration1_detail,2009
  • iteration 1,2009
    iteration 1,2009
  • iterating the ordinary
    iterating the ordinary
    gallery view,2009

In Response

Stamp Gallery
University of Maryland
College Park, Md

I work outside the conventional notion of drawing, notating a physical site rather than rendering an illusory version of that site. Drawing is traditionally considered to be a two-dimensional re-presentation of the three-dimensional. What if drawing were liberated from its conventional role of descriptor and instead employed as a strategy where tactics might include nomination and notation; where materials move outside of standard mark makers and paper. Thus a line drawn by the artist is equivalent to a line created by an existing site element, something as ordinary as a visible drywall seam.

Through these site responsive drawings I examine where the liminal state exists between what is noticed and what is overlooked. If all facts are physiologically recorded but much of what we see goes unnoticed, is what we see more a result of how we have edited reality? And if so, how does the introduction of additional information begin to disassemble the gestalt and alter our perception or knowledge of the world?

In addition to perceptibility, I am interested in employing the contextually dependent nature of my drawings as a means to encourage the viewer to engage as participant rather than observer. My interest in audience as contributor leads me to question the hierarchy of the art object. Is it possible to create work where meaning is not contained within the object, but rather the object creates a heuristic state that asks the viewer to complete the piece?
  • img_1106-2.jpg
    img_1106-2.jpg
  • img_1073-2.jpg
    img_1073-2.jpg
  • img_1072.jpg
    img_1072.jpg
  • 17_cooperleah.jpg
    17_cooperleah.jpg
  • 15_cooperleah.jpg
    15_cooperleah.jpg
  • 16_cooperleah.jpg
    16_cooperleah.jpg
  • 20_cooperleah.jpg
    20_cooperleah.jpg
  • img_1098.jpg
    img_1098.jpg
  • 09_lcooper.jpg
    09_lcooper.jpg