This work was displayed in Benjy Russell's solo show, You’re on new bridges made of home (you found the light in a dark poem) on Level Three: The Theory of Next, presented by Wilder.

"The photograph of the crystal-like sculpture was taken in San Pedro, CA on a defunct military base, and acts as a futuristic altar meant to channel healing energy to counteract specific atrocities of man. The circular base that the sculpture hovers over is a former machine gun turret that looks out over the Pacific and was meant to defend the major port that is in San Pedro. The sculpture I built with artist Rya Kleinpeter and is based on an seemingly undiscovered geometry - a character from a language that hasn’t been spoken yet- and it measures approximately 7 1/2 feet tall, is constructed of lightweight plastic tubes, and is suspended over the turret using a truss system and wire. I photographed it at 2AM beneath the full moon, using a combination of natural light and studio lights. I wanted the sculpture to be charged from the moonlight (similar to how one charges a crystal) as a means to counteract the violent energy and intentions that the military base was created for."

Benjy Russell grew up in rural Oklahoma, and currently resides in rural Tennessee. As a gay man in the rural South, he lives among a thriving and diverse community of queer and trans people who vision the new world together. The friendships that form this community are important not only as subject matter, but also as inspiration and source material — much of his work was created in collaboration with these artists.

Russell is compelled by the conversation that happens at the intersection of philosophy, science and art, a way to see the world prismatically and to unlearn harmful, antiquated social structures. He often looks to science fiction as a model for shaping reality, believing that by creating a fictionalized, ideal version of the future, we take the first step toward its existence.

Most of Russell’s work utilizes in-camera effects, using sculpture, studio lights and mirrors to allude to magical realism. By creating a physical moment of impossibility, he hopes to hold it up to the rest of the world and show what else might be possible.

This work was displayed in Benjy Russell's solo show, You’re on new bridges made of home (you found the light in a dark poem) on Level Three: The Theory of Next, presented by Wilder.

"The photograph of the crystal-like sculpture was taken in San Pedro, CA on a defunct military base, and acts as a futuristic altar meant to channel healing energy to counteract specific atrocities of man. The circular base that the sculpture hovers over is a former machine gun turret that looks out over the Pacific and was meant to defend the major port that is in San Pedro. The sculpture I built with artist Rya Kleinpeter and is based on an seemingly undiscovered geometry - a character from a language that hasn’t been spoken yet- and it measures approximately 7 1/2 feet tall, is constructed of lightweight plastic tubes, and is suspended over the turret using a truss system and wire. I photographed it at 2AM beneath the full moon, using a combination of natural light and studio lights. I wanted the sculpture to be charged from the moonlight (similar to how one charges a crystal) as a means to counteract the violent energy and intentions that the military base was created for."

Benjy Russell grew up in rural Oklahoma, and currently resides in rural Tennessee. As a gay man in the rural South, he lives among a thriving and diverse community of queer and trans people who vision the new world together. The friendships that form this community are important not only as subject matter, but also as inspiration and source material — much of his work was created in collaboration with these artists.

Russell is compelled by the conversation that happens at the intersection of philosophy, science and art, a way to see the world prismatically and to unlearn harmful, antiquated social structures. He often looks to science fiction as a model for shaping reality, believing that by creating a fictionalized, ideal version of the future, we take the first step toward its existence.

Most of Russell’s work utilizes in-camera effects, using sculpture, studio lights and mirrors to allude to magical realism. By creating a physical moment of impossibility, he hopes to hold it up to the rest of the world and show what else might be possible.