Dan Lythcott-Haims

Practice & background

Dan Lythcott-Haims works with overlooked human-made objects. Rust, breakage and age offer colors and textures to examine through photography, sculpture and assemblage.

After studying Product Design at Stanford, he worked in museum exhibits, graphics, products and user experience, including as Creative Director at Pandora Music. A camera received in his forties opened a path toward finding art in existing details.

Wood+Rust pairs found rusty objects with maple supports or frames. Precise presentation draws attention to surfaces formed through weathering rather than entirely controlled design.

The Keys series rearranges keys, cages and lines in space. Cage and Keys (2020) combines a birdcage, keys and fishing line; other works use wood, rusty steel or old parts bins. Repetition and suspension draw attention to enclosure, gaps and weight.

His statement emphasizes repetition, juxtaposition and close focus. Photographs can prompt sculptures, while three-dimensional experiments suggest further images, creating a continuing exchange between media.

Looking at the work

Assemblage, photography and metal patination are central to his practice. Repetition, juxtaposition and close attention reveal wear and aging. Alchemy explores variable patina surfaces, while Wood+Rust presents rusted objects against maple, reframing discarded materials as objects of attention.