Raphael Lyon

raphael lyon

Whose dance the infinite?

every one!
every thing!
every pore!
every atom!

Clutching each other forever.
Raphael Lyon

about the work

Raphael Lyon was born, as he describes, in the deserts of New Mexico, surrounded by indigenous peoples, rabid geology, and millennia-old artifacts. These experiences are reflected in his artistic life as an installation and sound artist. In his practice, he has focused on creating wonder in dark spaces, magic in lit spaces, and meditations on the shape of life. Today, his work is primarily concerned with geological periods and the aesthetic origins of life and consciousness. Ultimately, his work is a meditation on information theory and the fundamental interplay of entropy and entropy-resistant systems. A concern that leads him to abandon linguistic information theory in favor of a cybernetic model of representation. This turn allows him to raise questions about reproduction, errors, data compression, duplication, and technological mediation and to reflect on the uncanny and unknowable intelligences that create, store and produce knowledge here on earth and throughout the universe.

The sculptures presented in this exhibition are shaped out of metal obtained using electro-deposition, in which copper atoms are collected in three-dimensional space using electric fields. It is a technique that was of interest to the early alchemists, who saw vegetative mineral forms as a key to understanding how the earth reproduces and sustains living forms. With these playful-looking works, Lyon addresses significant themes of our time such as geology, ecology, biotic environmental factors, micro-waste, and recycling – and at the same time also the still great, fascinating mysteries of nature.

curriculum vitae

Raphael Lyon (* Albuquerque, New Mexico), also known as Mudboy, is an established sound designer, musician, and installation artist working around the world. His work focuses on the conceptual design of living systems and fractal structures to create an artistic practice built on wonder and magic. Thus, as an installation artist, Lyon builds mysterious, sensual landscapes and spaces closely linked to his music. As “Mudboy,” he performs internationally with his music and performances, releasing over twenty albums under various labels. Lyon, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University, and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University, presents his artwork, films, music, and lectures primarily at festivals and art and cultural institutions, including the New Museum, New York, the Artists Institute, New York as well as the Goethe Institute, New York, at the International Symposium of Electronic Music (ISEA) in Dortmund, Germany, the Sight and Sound Festival, in Montreal, Canada, the International Computer Music Conference, New York and at Mediamatic in Amsterdam. He has been the recipient of various grants and arts funding, including the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, New York, and multiple fellowships
from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Lyon also has numerous residencies in artist residencies such as Bas Fisher Invitational, Miami FL or the Ernst Fischer artist residence, Birkholz, Brandenburg, Germany. He has also enjoyed numerous residencies at artist residencies such as Bas Fisher Invitational, Miami FL, and the Ernst Fischer Artist Residency in Birkholz,
Brandenburg, Germany.

Raphael lyon - layers