(Left) ‘38 53' N / 77 02' W - 45 24' N / 75 43' W,' by Stuart Allen 1999 sailcloth, laminated cherry and ash, string, cable permanent installation at the U.S. Embassy Building in Ottaw. (Middle) ‘Box Kite: 23,890 cu. inches / Approximate Volume of Air I Breathe in One Hour (at rest)', 2007, sailcloth, maple, spruce, stainless hardware. (Right) ‘29 26' 14” N - 98 28' 55' W,' 2007, sailcloth, maple, string.

WHO: Stuart Allen, 36

MEDIA: Photography, mixed-media sculpture

BEST KNOWN FOR: Work dealing with elements of perception, including space, gravity and especially light. A fan of recreational sailing, Allen also has long been interested in the form and function of kites; he creates kites and kite-like sculptures using sailcloth because it “transmits light through its surface while still holding on to some of it,” he said.

‘Sunset — One Photograph Every Minute / 29 29' 57” N - 98 28' 19” W / 04 - 11 – 2007', pigment print on rag paper.

CURRENTLY: “29 26' 14” N 98 28' 55” W,” Allen's site-specific installation at the San Antonio Museum of Art, consists of nine long panels of white sailcloth hanging across the cavernous Great Hall near the ceiling. The panels gently twist to catch the light through the skylights above and the windows in the front and back. “This installation is a very elaborate way to make people look at light,” he said; the panels “elucidate” the varying colors of light, which change depending on the time of day and weather. “Mapping Daylight,” a supporting exhibit of photographs, are almost scientific documents that visually record how sunlight changes color throughout the day. Allen covered his digital camera lens with fabric and took photos at different intervals of time. Then he cropped and assembled the resulting strips of color to trace the variations in the light's shade and hue, which aren't observable by the human eye. “I'm not really interested in photography for photography's sake, but for the camera's ability to show us things we can't see on our own,” he said.

BACKGROUND: A Kansas native, Allen studied architecture at the University of Kansas before transferring to the Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri, where he received a BFA in photography. He moved to San Antonio in 2004.

INFLUENCES: Robert Irwin, James Turrell

CHECK HIM OUT: “29 26' 12” N 98 28' 55” W” (so titled because of its geographic locations) is on display at SAMA, 200 W. Jones Ave., indefinitely. “Mapping Daylight” is on display through Oct. 14. Or visit his Web site, stuartallen.info.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor