Jen Lewin

Jen Lewin
CitizenshipUS
OccupationArtist
Known forSculpture
Public Art
Interactive Art
Spouses
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(m. 2001; div. 2010)​
William (Bill) Magnuson
​
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(m. 2015)​
Children2
Websitejenlewinstudio.com

Jen Lewin is an American interactive public artist based in New York City. She is known for designing and fabricating large-scale interactive public artworks that combine sculpture, light, sound, custom electronics, software, and engineering to create immersive, participatory environments. Her work explores the relationship between people, technology, and the natural world through installations that respond to touch, movement, and collective interaction

Personal life

Lewin grew up in Maui and obtained her BA in Architecture and Computer Aided Design from the University of Colorado Boulder, later obtaining her M.P.S. degree in Interactive Design from Tisch School of the Arts.

Lewin married Kimbal Musk in 2001, brother of Elon Musk. 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.

In 2015, Lewin purchased a 4-story condo in Manhattan for 7 million dollars.

Career

Early career

Following her graduate studies at New York University, Lewin established a multidisciplinary practice combining architecture, engineering, interactive design, and sculpture. Drawing on her background in environmental design and digital technologies, she began developing installations that integrated custom electronics, responsive lighting systems, sensors, and software to create artworks that changed in response to human interaction. Rather than producing static objects, Lewin's practice emphasized participation, encouraging viewers to become active contributors to the work through movement and touch.

Interactive public art

Since the early 2000s, Lewin has focused on creating large-scale interactive public artworks that combine sculpture, light, sound, and engineering. Many of her installations are designed for plazas, parks, museums, festivals, and other civic spaces, where they respond in real time to participants through pressure sensors, motion detection, and programmable LED lighting. Her work frequently explores themes of human connection, collective behaviour, and the relationship between natural systems and technology.

One of Lewin's best-known works is The Pool, an interactive installation first presented at Burning Man in 2008. Comprising hundreds of illuminated circular platforms that change colour when stepped upon, the work has toured internationally and has been exhibited at festivals and public art events including Vivid Sydney, Signal Festival in Prague, Light Marina Bay in Singapore, Brisbane Festival, Montréal en Lumière, BLINK Cincinnati, Canal Convergence in Scottsdale, and numerous exhibitions throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America.

In addition to temporary exhibitions, Lewin has produced interactive public artworks for airports, educational institutions, municipalities, and private developments. Notable commissions include The Aurora (2021) at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport; Helix and Andante (2021) in Doral, Florida; Flow (2020) at ʻIolani School in Honolulu; Jeju Pool (2018) in South Korea; Promenade (2018) in Denver; Sidewalk Harp (2015) in Minneapolis; and Magical Harp, which has been installed at multiple sites including Palo Alto and Redwood City, California.

Lewin has exhibited internationally at institutions including Oklahoma Contemporary, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, the Museum of Design Atlanta, and the University of Colorado Boulder Art Museum. She has also participated in recurring international light festivals and biennials, including Takanawa Gateway Fest in Tokyo, Vivid Sydney, Signal Festival, i Light Marina Bay, the Istanbul Light Festival, the Gwangju Design Biennale, and the Biennial of the Americas.

Alongside her independent practice, Lewin has collaborated with artists and designers on several public artworks. She developed the lighting for Paint Torch (2011), a monumental sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen now in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and collaborated with Lawrence Argent on Water Tree (2010), a permanent public sculpture in Vail, Colorado.

Lewin has produced a number of permanent public art installations in civic, cultural, and institutional contexts. These works form part of a broader body of interactive sculptures installed in public spaces internationally.

Notable permanent commissions include Cyclicality (2025), installed at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The work consists of large-scale interactive sculptural elements incorporating light-responsive and reflective materials and is designed for public interaction in an outdoor civic setting.

Other permanent installations include Promenade, a site-specific interactive light installation in Denver, Colorado, developed for the Dairy Block Art Collection and designed as an environment responsive to movement and audience participation.

Additional permanent works include Boundless (Arlington, Virginia), installed as part of a public arts initiative, and multiple installations in Norwalk, Connecticut, including works developed in collaboration with Brookfield Properties for public plaza spaces.

These commissions are part of a larger portfolio of permanent installations by Jen Lewin Studio located in public parks, transportation hubs, civic plazas, and cultural institutions across the United States and internationally.

Works

Installations

* Interactive sculpture titled "Ascent" by Lewin permanently installed in the Art Walk of Coral Spring Florida

Exhibitions

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

Awards

References

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  2. ↑ Adele Chong; Daan Roosegaarde; Timo de Rijk (2010). Interactive Landscapes. NAi. ISBN 978-90-5662-754-6.
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  6. 1 2 Johnston, Raymond. "Everybody in The Pool". Prague Post. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
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