CONCEPT

The exhibition was orchestrated in conjunction with SENSEMAKING: A Symposium on Contemplative Technologies, hosted by the University of Virginia’s Contemplative Sciences Center.

At UVA, Buttress recently completed NINFEO, a monumental installation at the heart of the University’s new Contemplative Sciences Center composed of 3320 laser-etched and illuminated crystal blocks. Inspired by the elemental beauty of The Dell pond and the water lilies that inhabit it, NINFEO translates the pond’s natural movements into a sensorial experience, as ever-changing patterns of light and sound play through the glowing glass blocks. Working in collaboration with Karman Line Collective, Buttress developed a site-specific soundscape in which a buoy floating in The Dell gathers real-time environmental data through infrared cameras and movement sensors. This data triggers a continuously evolving composition, producing a living score that mirrors the rhythms of the pond itself—an ongoing dialogue between site, artwork, and audience.

Buttress’s exhibition at LYDM brought together drawings, paintings, and music that both informed and responded to NINFEO. Early watercolour sketches of water lilies—on view publicly for the first time—traced the genesis of the work, while a suite of paintings made with elemental materials such as oil paint, wax, graphite, and water lily seeds and petals, suggesting portals beyond the picture plane, extended its impact. 

“I am interested in trying to illuminate the invisible and play with the boundaries of 2D and 3D,” Buttress notes, “the paintings not only express the site, but are somehow of the site itself.” 

The exhibition also featured the Karman Line Collective NINFEO soundscape, infusing the gallery with an additional layer of sensory experience to the work.

INFORMATION

NINFEO (EXPLORATIONS, STUDIES AND RESPONSES)

October 10th - November 16th 2025 

LYDM Gallery, Charlottesville, U.S. 

Images / Details