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The Grid Hypothesis

    an investigative photo documentary

Exclusive 19-page photo essay from our investigative journalist team in collaboration with award-winning photojournalist Eric Thayer. Location: New York, United States Copyright Wondereur 2023.

MEET with artist Annette Cords curated by respected New York-based art critic Jill Conner.

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“NEW YORK IS BIG, LOUD AND OVERWHELMING.”
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“THAT’S WHY IT FEELS VERY COMFORTABLE TO ME.”
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“There are times when you think ‘Ah, forget it!’ but I still really love it, the flow of life and the people and everything… that interconnectedness.”
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“I just love the networks and systems of the city… how organic and grid-like it is.”
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“THERE ARE SO MANY LITTLE STEPS TO CREATE THIS ONE BIG THING.”
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“In a way, when you make something by hand or when you develop technology, it’s very incremental too.”
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“It’s about experimenting. With an experiment, you don't know what the outcome will be, which is what makes it interesting.”
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“OUT OF VERY SIMPLE LITTLE BUILDING BLOCKS, SOMETHING VERY COMPLEX AND INTELLIGENT MAY COME.”
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“I start a lot of my work on the computer but it always results in a physical object. Technology is becoming more and more a part of us, more and more internalized. But I feel like I still want people to remember of our presence in the world.”
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“I like the idea of taking simple objects that have no high art value, like wire mesh or a rubber mat, and using them as a form of surface printing.”
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“MAKING PHYSICAL OBJECTS PULLS YOU BACK INTO THE TACTILE ENVIRONMENT.”
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“To make something that’s very handmade but also has that digital component - it’s like a rubber band between two opposites. I like being able to stretch it.”
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“My first drawing papers were computer punch cards.”
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“My father was a physicist. He worked in Hamburg, Germany in a big circular underground accelerator. We would pick him up from work, and get to walk around there and see the detectors.”
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“IT WAS LIKE A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BUT VERY FAMILIAR.”
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“My father’s way of thinking influenced me a lot. Physicists try to discover something about particles. I think, like physics, art lets us ask questions about the world.”
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“I feel the most comfortable in my work when I’m trying to figure something out.”
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“ULTIMATELY, THESE QUESTIONS PLACE US IN THE WORLD AND IN A LARGER CONTEXT.”