Artist Daniel Wheeler Photographs California's Landscape from the Bottom of Swimming Pools

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published June 5, 2008 at 11:25 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

Los Angeles-based artist Daniel Wheeler has spent the last four years jumping into pools and photographing the resulting turbulence from the bottom of the pool. The results are lush and dreamy large-s

Tom Fudge: When you go for a swim in someone's pool, and you wear a good pair of swim goggles, you know that the world looks different when you're under water. Things have a soft, graceful look. Bubbles gather in interesting clusters as they float to the surface. And shafts of light from the sun dodge around in unpredictable says.

Artist Daniel Wheeler noticed all that, to be sure. And he also noticed that the world above the pool looks very different when you gaze at it though several feet of water. This realization lead to a series of photographs, shot from under water, that examines light, shape, and the odd relationship Southern California has with water and pools.

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Daniel Wheeler's work will be on view at the Lux Art Institute through August 2nd. He will also be at the free Lux @ Night event on the evening of June 18th.

Guest

Daniel Wheeler , artist living in L.A. His latest collection of work is called Gulp .