Outside The Box (OTB), a collaboration of Matthew J Peake and David Lee Black, is a four-part figurative series that turns a 2D process into a 3D one. As sculptural photography, it allows the viewer to see the subjects from all four sides and from the top and bottom as well, merely by walking around the cube, an eight-foot high structure, measuring 42 inches on a side, balanced with one of its corners on a triangular pyramidal pedestal.
OTB uses the perspective of a cube on its point—figuratively and literally—to prompt a dialogue about how we view things, the metaphors being so rich: that of perfect balance, of having attitude, and of playfulness, not to mention, that a block, in and of itself, is iconic.
With the series OTB: Poised On Point, a cube poised on its point is about an object in balance, perfect balance in fact, like two dancers, who, although different as black and white, and contorted, twisted, and asymmetric, are still able to achieve a beautiful equilibrium.
It is also an expression of attitude—who says a block has to be on its side—so in the OTB: Attitude series, two characters interact, expressing opposing attitudes or feelings, not immediately clear to a viewer on a single panel, but discoverable when the viewer circles the entire cube seeing things from all perspectives.
With the OTB: Surrealistic Play series, a block on point is playful, imaginative, creative, and so are the pair of nude models, their nakedness symbolizing the innocence of children, playing with objects—or interacting through them—in unusual, surrealistic, and dream-like ways. How one finds meaning in the interaction is entirely a matter of interpretation—but it demands that every facet be viewed.
Finally, the OTB: Die series takes the iconic cube, a common object in our daily lives, whether a child’s block or, in this case, a gamer’s die, and expands upon it. And by greatly enlarging the object, the nature of the die’s dots is revealed.
View the images above, then watch the video below for an overview of OTB…and watch for more to come!