Ben Schilderman

Notice the unnoticeable

What if the most powerful artworks were the ones you almost missed?
My project invites you to rediscover the beauty hidden in plain sight, using subtle interventions that shift how we see the everyday world.

I’ve always been drawn to the unnoticed those quiet, liminal spaces like empty streets at night lit by soft streetlights and glowing windows. They feel eerie yet comforting. Instead of capturing these moments with a camera, I prefer to experience them fully. My evening walks made me appreciate the beauty in overlooked corners of the city, where light and shadow meet in subtle, cinematic ways.

This fascination led me to create subtle metal interventions in public spaces: small sculptures that blend into the urban environment, like branches attached to lampposts or tucked near road signs.
These works don’t demand attention but reward those who take a moment to notice them.
Inspired by photographer Todd Hido’s haunting use of artificial light and J.M.W. Turner’s hidden details within vast scenes, I wanted to shift viewers’ perception of the everyday.
Alison Gopnik’s idea of “lantern consciousness,” a childlike openness to the world, also influenced me.

My aim is to awaken that broader awareness in adults who are often stuck in narrow focus. Through a combination of hands-on metalwork, public placement, and photography, I explore how small details can change the way we see our surroundings. In the end, it’s not just the objects, but the act of noticing them, that becomes the true artwork.