Matt Olson/ Rauschenberg Residency
Matt Olson, co-founder of RO/LU and a voracious writer and photographer of all things art and design, recently completed his stay at the Robert Rauschenberg Residency. What follows is a preview of a photo essay by Matt about his time there.
"I’ve just returned from a month long Robert Rauschenberg Residency that I accepted on behalf of ROLU. I lived and worked on his estate at Captiva Island off the coast of Florida. The thirty acre property contains seven houses, the 9,000 sq. ft. studio pictured above, a swimming pool and tennis court, a world class chef, the ocean… and most importantly, Rauschenberg’s expansive, gentle and hopeful spirit seems to be everywhere you look. I love saying “I’ll never be the same” after a significant experience because, on some level, it’s always true. But in this case it’s deeply true. I’ll never be the same.
The Fish House is probably the most iconic location on the estate. A truly magical place. It’s the only non-internet zone on the property which was helpful. I spent a lot of time here writing the first week and not having the option to check email and Instagram, and it made writing so much easier.
This was my office in the Fish House. The first week-and-a-half I spent most of my time writing here. I was commissioned by a group of museum directors to make a project to kickoff their symposium at the Aspen Institute called “Propositions for the Future of the Art Museum.” What an office, huh?"
Read the complete essay here to find out more about the work that Matt did and to see the rest of his breathtaking pictures.
