Jen Lewin


Jen Lewin is an American interactive artist and engineer. She is based in New York City and specializes in large scale installations in public spaces, usually combining elements such as light, sound and complex engineering. Her interactive light installation The Pool debuted in 2008 and has been exhibited across the globe, in cities such as Singapore, Sydney, Denver, Montréal and Prague, and in events such as South By Southwest and Burning Man.
Lewin has written publications about CAD-related topics. Her work has appeared on National Geographic.
WWW Official Site

Life and career

Lewin grew up in Maui and obtained her BA in Architecture and Computer Aided Design from the University of [Colorado Boulder], later obtaining her M.P.S. degree in Interactive Design from Tisch School of the Arts.
Lewin married Kimbal Musk in 2001, brother of Elon Musk. They had two children together. They divorced in 2010. Lewin married William Magnuson in 2015, and currently lives with Bill and their two children in New York City.
Her most known work, The Pool, featured on Wired, consists of over 200 LED-lit platforms that change color according to pressure and speed changes elicited by viewers' interactions with the system. Termed an "interactive light sculpture", where human interaction is necessary for its display, this installation has toured several countries. Specializing in works that involve technology and human interaction, she often includes musical elements into her creations. For instance, other projects of hers include laser harps, where people elicit music via interrupting the laser arrangements.
According to the Boulder Weekly, Google commissioned Lewin to "create an Android app for tracking feedback between her innovations and the groups of people interacting with them". Lewin, along with her Pool installation, was featured by the BBC News in May 2013.
Jen Lewin was co-founder of The Kitchen restaurants in Boulder, along with Hugo Matheson and then husband, Kimbal Musk. She designed its three original locations. Lewin is also the original designer behind the Learning Gardens created for Kimbal Musk and his foundation The Kitchen Community, now called Big .
Lewin also co-founded The Studio Boulder with business partner William Goodrich.

Works

Installations

Exhibitions

2024
2023
  • Charlotte International Arts Festival – Aqueous
  • Burning Man, Black Rock City: The Ursa's.
  • Vivid Syndey – The Last Ocean: “Antarctica”
  • Celebration Square Mississauga: Ursa Minor
2022
  • Lights on Stratford, Ontario: The Pool
  • Exploratorium, San Francisco: The Last Ocean
  • Canal Convergence, Scottsdale: The Last Ocean
  • Beacon Park, Detroit: The Last Ocean
  • Burning Man, Black Rock City: The Last Ocean
  • Brisbane Festival, Brisbane: The Pool
  • Digital Garden, Mount Gambier: The Pool
  • Illuminate Adelaide, Adelaide: Chandelier Harp and The Pool
  • Industry City, Brooklyn: The Pool
2021
  • Stavros Niachros Foundation  Center, Athens: Aqueous
  • Current Show, DUMBO Brooklyn: Anti-Chandelier
  • Domino Park: Reflect
2020
  • Takanawa Gateway Fest, Tokyo
  • Oklahoma Contemporary
  • Hong Kong Arts Centre
  • Redwood City: Magical Harp and Light Pools
  • Walnut Creek: Light Pool
  • MSP Signature Work
  • Light Wall, Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii
2019
  • Aushans Harp, Aurora, Colorado
  • Euclid, Norwalk, CT, Brookfield Place
  • Norwalk Cloud, Norwalk, CT, Brookfield Place
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
  • La Napoule Art Foundation, Denver
  • Burning Man, Honorarium Project

Awards

  • 2023 : The Last Ocean]
  • 2023 Black Rock City Honoraria: The Ursa's
  • 2022
  • 2022 Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards Gold Award: The Aurora
  • 2022 Black Rock City Honoraria: The Last Ocean
  • 2020 Black Rock City Honoraria: Cosmos
  • 2017 CODAaward: Merit Award Public Spaces: Sidewalk Harp
  • 2017 Burning Man Arts Black Rock City Honoraria Grant: Aqueous
  • 2017 Pre-qualified Public Artist: San Francisco Arts Commission
  • 2017 Pre-qualified Public Artist: Houston Arts Alliance
  • 2016 CODAvideo Award: Experience: Sidewalk Harp
  • 2016 CODAawards Top 100: Sidewalk Harp
  • 2016 Pre-qualified Artist, San Antonio Arts Commission
  • 2016 CODAvideo Award: Experience: Sidewalk Harp
  • 2016 Prequalified Public Artist: Outdoor Public Art, City of Palo Alto
  • 2015 Architizer A+, Popular Choice "Edison Cloud"
  • 2014 Black Rock Arts Foundation Honorarium, Super Pool
  • 2014 Rotational Molding Product Design Competition: 1st Place Professional Division "Learning Gardens"
  • 2013 University of Central Arkansas - Artist in Residence
  • 2012 Black Rock Arts Foundation Honorarium, The Arc Harps
  • 2008 Burning Man artists grant: The Pool
  • 2005 Burning Man Honorarium: "Light Harp"
  • 1996 Presidents Fund for Teaching Technology Research Grant
  • 1996 Colorado Advanced Software Institute Research Grant