Jen Lewin is an American interactive artist and engineer. She is based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Montréal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, and in events such as

South By Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

and

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

. Lewin has written publications about CAD-related topics. Her work has appeared on ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

''.

Life and career

Lewin grew up in

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

and obtained her BA in Architecture and

Computer Aided Design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

, later obtaining her M.P.S. degree in Interactive Design from

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

. Lewin married

Kimbal Musk Kimbal James Musk (born 20 September 1972) is a businessman and restaurateur. He co-owns The Kitchen Restaurant Group, with restaurants in Colorado, Chicago, and Austin. He is the co-founder and chairman of Big Green, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tha ...

in 2001, brother of

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

. They had two children together. They divorced in 2010. Lewin married William (Bill) 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 Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

'', consists of over 200

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

-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 ''Boulder Weekly'' is an alternative newsweekly that publishes every Thursday in Boulder, Colorado. The paper is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) and is owned and published by Stewart Sallo. Overview After the Loma ...

'',

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

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 BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

in May 2013. Jen Lewin was co-founder of The Kitchen restaurants in Boulder, along with Hugo Matheson and then husband,

. She designed its three original locations. Lewin is also the original designer behind the Learning Garden

created for

and his foundation The Kitchen Community, now called Bi
Green
Lewin also co-founded The Studio Boulder with business partner William Goodrich.

Works

Installations

*2024 Doral, Flordia:
Myco
' *2024 Santa Clara, CA: ''Magical Harp'' *2023 Cincinnati Public Library:
Phronesis
' *2023 Arlington Rotery Club'': '
Boundless
' *2022 Green House,

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a neighborhood within the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; Sunnyside to the east; and Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint, Brook ...

*2021 Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport:
The Aurora
' *2021 Arlington Doral, Flordia: Helix and Andante *2020 Redwood City: ''Magical Harp and Light Pools'' *2020 Walnut Creek: ''Light Pool'' *2020 Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii: ''Flow'' *2017

and

Descanso Gardens Descanso Gardens is a botanical garden located in La Cañada Flintridge, California, La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles County, California. It sits on the northern edge of the San Rafael Hills. Descanso Gardens features a wide area, mostly f ...

Aqueous
*2015 Be The Match Foundation,

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

: ''Sidewalk Harp'' *2015 The Magical Bridge Playground,

Palo Alto Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

: ''Magical Harp'' *2017 University of Ohio Akron, Flux Chandelier *2017 Coral Springs Florida, Art Walk: Ascent by Jen Lewin *2010 Solaris, Vail: The Water Tree by Lawrence Argent, Light Art by Jen Lewin

Exhibitions

2024 * Discovery Green, Houston TX: Atlas * Lumenaura, Aurora, IL: The Pool * Burning Man, Black Rock City: The Other, Man Pavilion 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 (Minneapolis Saint Paul Terminal 1.) *Light Wall, Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii 2019 *Aushans Harp, Aurora, Colorado *Euclid, Norwalk, CT, Brookfeild Place *Norwalk Cloud, Norwalk, CT, Brookfeild Plac 2018 *Vivid Sydney *Jeju Pool, South Korea *Promenade, Denver 2017 *Georgetown Glow, Georgetown DC: Aqueous *Visual Arts Week,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

: The Pool *Enchanted Forest of Light,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

: Aqueous *BLINK

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

: The Pool *

Worlds Fair Nano Worlds Fair Nano is an American future festival whose mission is to let the general public experience the future. Worlds Fair Nano occurs in major cities around the United States. History Founded in 2016 as part of an effort to bring a 6-month ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

: Aqueous * Jing An Kerry Centre,

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

: The Pool *

Black Rock City Honoraria, Black Rock City: Aqueous *Light Festival

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

: The Pool * Chattanooga: The Pool *Light City,

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

: Reflect *

Hong Kong Arts Festival The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), launched in 1973, is an international arts festival held in Hong Kong. It covers all genres of the performing arts as well as a diverse range of educational events in February and March each year. Histor ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

2016 *Arrow Arts Challenge,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

* Cherry Creek Arts Festival,

Midtown Crossing at Turner Park Midtown Crossing at Turner Park is a vibrant mixed-use development in midtown Omaha, featuring retail, office, residential spaces, and green areas. Renowned for its bustling local business scene and year-round community events, this 16-acre seve ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

*WAVE: Light + Sound + Art,

Breckenridge, Colorado Breckenridge is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule town that is the county seat and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Summit County, Colorado, Summit County, Colorado, United ...

*NYCxDESIGN at the Design Pavilion,

*B-Light Festival,

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

*Mother of the Nation Festival,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

*Light City,

* i Light Marina Bay,

*SPECTRA,

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

*Winter Lights at

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

2015 *Luna Fete,

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

*Istanbul Light Festival,

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

*igNIGHT,

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significa ...

* Cherry Creek Arts Festival at Stanley *

Astana, Kazakhstan Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

Bonnaroo Music Festival Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) fa ...

*Summer in Paradise,

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

*Montreal en Lumiere,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec *Canal Convergence,

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

2014 *

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

Arts Centre *Signal Festival, Prague *Art de Colombo,

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Honorarium Artist *AHA! Light Up Cleveland *

Vivid Sydney Vivid Sydney is an annual festival held in Sydney, Australia. It includes outdoor immersive light installations and projections, performances by local and international musicians, and an ideas exchange forum featuring public talks and debates ...

* i Light Marina Bay,

*Luminosity, Lexington 2013 *Chalk The Block, El Paso *Conway Artsfest *Denver Art Biennale *Escape From Wonderland *

Electric Daisy Carnival Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is the largest e ...

, Orlando, NYC, Chicago & Vegas *

Art Museum,

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

: ''Its Electric'' *

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Republic Park 2012 *La Napoule Art Foundation, Denver *Burning Man, Honorarium Project

Awards

*202
Lumen Award for Environmental Awareness Through Light
The Last Ocean] *2023 Black Rock City Honoraria: The Ursa's *202
The Women in Lighting Award
*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 Codie award, 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 The University of Central Arkansas (Central Arkansas or UCA) is a public university in Conway, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1907, the university is one of the oldest in the state. As the state's only normal school at the time, UCA has hist ...

- Artist in Residence *2012 Black Rock Arts Foundation Honorarium, ''The Arc Harps'' *2008

artists grant: ''The Pool'' *2005

Honorarium: "Light Harp" *1996 Presidents Fund for Teaching Technology Research Grant *1996 Colorado Advanced Software Institute Research Grant

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewin, Jen American contemporary sculptors Interactive artists American installation artists Public art Artists from Colorado Tisch School of the Arts alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni 1974 births Living people 21st-century American women artists American women installation artists