8.17.2011

TIM SIMMONS | PRESS RELEASE | URBAN LAND PROJECT

ANTHROPOLOGIST ANNOUNCES THREE PART BI-COASTAL INSTALLATION: URBAN LAND PROJECT

The Anthropologist proudly announces its newest commission—Urban Land Project by UK-based photographic artist Tim Simmons. The three-part, bi-coastal installation will launch Sept 12 and include murals, in collaboration with non-profit urban renewal public art program The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, billboards and multimedia projection in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The series subverts public commercial spaces by transforming them into photographic experiences of nature. Monumental in scale as well as message, viewers will stop and consider the relationships they have with our fragile planet.

Simmons’ images compel passersby to consider the notion of "landscape" in a different way. Focusing closely on the innate texture and detail of the land, he sets out to draw us deeper into the natural environment, sharpening our senses and inviting us to consider our experience of it.

About Urban Land Project
Urban Land Project sees Simmons continuing to challenge and alter the viewer's perception. Using billboards and outdoor murals—media most commonly reserved for advertising—he will infiltrate various public spaces throughout Philadelphia and Los Angeles. With each city and site affording a unique experience to his work, this project is intended to stimulate awareness through its framed representations of the natural world within the wider urban context. In Philadelphia, Mural Arts is proud to lend their expertise in public art and community engagement to this exciting new project.
Globalization, industrialization and technological progress are the sculptors of the modern landscape. The juxtaposition of Simmons’ imagery against this backdrop will accentuate the tension between the human and natural worlds.While engaging with the raw aesthetic of his work, viewers will recognize an intimate familiarity with the land itself, and experience a profound sense of alienation meant to spur internal dialogue and personal reflection.

Urban Land Project will be brought to life by two outdoor private events featuring Tim Simmons personal execution the projection piece. The influencer attended events, hosted at Space 1520, Los Angeles (Sept 15) and URBN at the Naval Yard, Philadelphia (Sept 13) will be designed to immerse the viewer as they watch natural images within an urban setting, bringing the juxtaposition represented in the Urban Land Project to life. In Philadelphia Mural Arts will conduct tours of the mural installations (muralarts.org).

ABOUT TIM SIMMONS
Tim Simmons (b.1955, London, England) has been making images since the late 70s. In recent years he has been developing a new and ongoing body of work reflecting his artistic concerns. His large- scale artworks are the result of a personal exploration of landscape as a representation of the relationship between the human and natural worlds. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including a solo show at FAS Contemporary in London in 2009. He lives and works in Norfolk, England.

ABOUT US
The Anthropologist is an online space that supports the work of inspiring individuals, brought to you by the people behind Anthropologie (www.anthropologie.com).
As a company of artists, Anthropologie was compelled to create a platform that not only celebrates artmakers and their work, but also illuminates the complicated, messy and exhilarating process of creation. This was our way of giving back to and deepening relationships with those who enrich our aesthetic and stir our senses. Unedited and unreserved, these stories represent spirit and craft in their rawest forms, and were made just for us.
Our premise is simple: we expose those who move us in order to move you, knowing that sharing sources of creativity in turn kindles it.

ABOUT MURAL ARTS
The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is the largest mural program in the nation. Since 1984, Mural Arts has created over 3,200 murals and works of public art, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the “City of Murals.” Mural Arts engages 100 communities each year in the transformation of neighborhoods through the mural-making process, while award-winning, free art education programs serve 1,500 youth at sites throughout the city and at-risk teens through education outreach programs. Mural Arts also serves adult offenders in local prisons and rehabilitation centers, using the restorative power of art to break the cycle of crime and violence in our communities. This year, over 20,000 residents and visitors will tour Mural Arts’ outdoor art gallery, which has become part of Philadelphia’s civic landscape and a source of pride and inspiration.

US Press Contact: Sara Goodstein sgoodstein@anthropologie.com 646.728.2155

UK Press Contact: Louise Bowan louisebowan@me.com 07815 424 925

6.22.2011

The New Heroes Issue #2 | Ordinary Magic

Issue #2 of the The New Heroes features an interview with Tim about his work.



L.A.te | Edgar Varela Fine Arts

Here are some installation shots from the opening night for Tim's show with Edgar Varela Fine Arts in April...