August Muth has been an internationally exhibiting artist and a pioneer in the exploration of light through holography for over 30 years. His interest in light began at the age of 16 when he began making large water-filled glass prisms, which he used to refract prismatic light upon his family’s garage door. In 1973 he left Albuquerque to work as a jewelry maker in Aspen, Colorado, where he became captivated by the light of opals and diamonds. Upon returning to Albuquerque the following year, he began his studies in art and physics at the University of New Mexico, and later continued at the University of Houston, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Muth moved to New York City in 1978 to begin walking the path as an artist. In 1980 he began his holographic exploration at The Museum Of Holography in Soho under Fred Unterseher. He relocated to the Telluride, Colorado area in 1985 to build his first holographic studio, and spent the next 7 years honing his skills in the Denisyuk single-beam holography technique. During this time his interest in the relationship between light, space, and time intensified, requiring a studio expansion. In 1994 his studio was reimagined and constructed in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In Santa Fe the desire to produce larger holograms became a priority, and for the next several years he spent thousands of hours developing techniques in this quest. Trial and failure became a large part of his practice since large-scale single-beam holograms had never been produced by anyone previously. After a pivotal insight which resulted in the discarding and total metamorphosis of previously learned processes, he was able to create holograms in a greater scale. Muth continues to produce works exploring the light-space-time continuum in his Santa fe, New Mexico studio.

“Light, as we perceive it, gives us only a brief glimpse of the momentary realities in which we exist.

Through my work, I strive to record with precision the perceptible light-space-time phenomena. As these three elements intertwine, a three-dimensional topography of pure light is formed, revealing a window into the elusive realms of the light-space-time paradox. Luminous veils of light invite the viewer into a multi-dimensional journey. The physicality of earthly materials becomes nonessential as one becomes enthralled by the tactile quality of this light.

My intent is to reveal a cognitive holographic dimension within our ordinary experiences of light, and to stimulate a dialogue between the ordinary and the extraordinary planes of understanding. This in turn may expand our perceptions, increase our acceptance of the unknown, and facilitate the evolution of our culture toward systems that are more holistically integrated.

Light is the faithful archivist of time.” – August Muth

"Stratum" by August Muth