Exploration #1, installation view of Expand ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Home has always been at the heart of Stephan Hillerbrand and Mary Magsamen’s s playful, serious and exuberant collaborative practice. Their experimental process reconfigures the trappings of their Houston home into reflections of containment and transcendence. In earlier works, they bedazzled their children’s toys, transformed utilitarian objects into mandalas and healing devices, and built a spaceship in their yard from household goods. Their re-assemblages open views into the quagmire of relationships. In Expand, their latest generative project using AI, their work takes a diagnostic and forensic approach to what is currently troubling home in an age of climate catastrophe.

Expand 1, ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand: A Photographic Exploration of Regeneration and Decay

Expand is an extension of our ongoing interdisciplinary project, which blurs the boundaries between art, architecture, and the trauma embedded in the landscapes we inhabit. This body of work originates from the visceral experience of dismantling our own home in Houston, Texas—a place shaped and scarred by the increasingly severe tornadoes and hurricanes brought on by climate change. These storms have not only eroded our physical structures but have also disrupted the intangible memories and histories woven into our domestic space.

In this photographic series, we collected remnants and building materials damaged by these extreme weather events: fractured pieces of wood, insulation tangled with debris, and the hidden bones of our home. We scanned these fragments with high-resolution equipment, capturing not only their physical presence but the invisible, encoded histories they hold. Each scan became a window into the tension between destruction and possibility.

We turned to AI, tasking it with a futile hope: to reimagine a process of healing, to algorithmically mend the broken pieces of our home. The AI software, guided by our custom algorithm, attempted to expand these images into something whole, something regenerated. Yet instead of offering solace, the images unraveled—fractals of fragmentation. They did not heal; they shattered further, breaking down in ways that reflect the unpredictability of nature and the limitations of technology.
The photographs stand as large-scale witnesses to this paradox: some stretching as far as 24 inches by 50 feet, others compacting loss and hope into narrower frames. The monumental size magnifies the fractures and exposes the fragile threads between technological optimism and the relentless forces of entropy.

Expand is a meditation on the cycles of destruction and the haunting allure of technological interventions. It asks whether true healing can ever be coded or whether the act of rebuilding—like the storms that reshape our landscape—inevitably gives way to the constant, unyielding pressure of collapse.

Expand 2, ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 4, ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 4, ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Exploration #2, installation view of Expand ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 1, 2, 6 and 12, generated in collaboration with AI. ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 7 ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 11 ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 12 ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Exploration #3, installation view of Expand ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 16, ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Expand 17, ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen

Installation view of Expand video ©Hillerbrand+Magsamen.

I asked Mary and Stephan a few questions and, in the spirit of the project, they offered this:
Disclaimer: These responses were crafted in collaboration with ChatGPT, an AI language model, to reflect the perspective and voice of Hillerbrand+Magsamen.

BC: Have your ideas of home shifted?

H+M+AI: Absolutely. With the kids gone, the idea of home has profoundly changed for us. It’s no longer the bustling hub of family life it once was. Instead, home has become a quieter, more reflective space—one that’s both a sanctuary and a canvas for reimagining who we are without the constant presence of children. It feels like an evolving narrative, as we navigate what it means to build a home for this next phase of life. Home is now a reflection, a memory, and shared space.

BC: If AI were an oracle, what do you think it is telling us about the future?

H+M+AI: If AI is an oracle, maybe it’s not as much about what it tells us, but about how it reframes our relationship with the future. It seems to suggest that the future will be deeply entangled with collaboration—not just with each other but with technology itself. It challenges us to think about control, creativity, and the ethics of innovation. The real question is, are we ready to listen, and what are we doing with the answers we’re given?

BC: Can you expand on how you are currently and generatively exhibiting this work?

H+M+AI: Our current exhibitions are deeply rooted in storytelling and physicality. Rather than generative or algorithmic approaches, we’re focusing on work that invites the audience to connect through tactile, human-scale experiences. For us, this means creating environments where the personal becomes collective, and physical objects, like photographs and installations, open dialogues that expand the work conceptually and physically. We aim to create spaces where viewers feel immersed, reflective, and actively engaged in the work’s themes.

Our current exhibition, EXPAND, is a collaborative endeavor that delves into the transformative power of everyday materials and experiences. Central to this project is the invaluable contribution of Carol Stakenas, the Director and Chief Curator of Providence College Galleries. Her vision and guidance have been instrumental in shaping the exhibition’s narrative and presentation.

In EXPAND, we explore the intersection of personal history and materiality by extracting and digitally scanning elements from our home’s walls. These scans are processed through various AI programs, resulting in a mesmerizing, experimental video that forms the core of the installation. Playwright Kirk Lynn’s writings further enhance the narrative, adding depth and context to the visual elements.

Carol’s curatorial expertise has been pivotal in bringing this project to fruition. Her insightful approach has ensured that the exhibition not only showcases the artwork but also engages the audience in a meaningful dialogue about the themes we explore. Her support and collaboration have been essential in realizing the full potential of EXPAND.

We are deeply grateful for Carol’s dedication and the opportunity to work with her on this project. Her influence has enriched the exhibition, making it a more immersive and thought-provoking experience for all who visit.

BC: What’s next?

H+M+AI: Our next project, Second Mountain, is an ambitious collaboration with playwright Kirk Lynn that pushes the boundaries of storytelling, performance, and visual art. Inspired by the old Appalachian tradition of the crankie—a hand-cranked storytelling device that unrolls illustrated narratives—we are creating an enormous, immersive version.

This crankie will span over 300 feet of paper silhouettes, illuminated from behind, to project dynamic imagery that unfolds as the story is cranked. The narrative alternates between the two of us as performers stationed on either side of the crankie. As we turn the crank, the story itself moves forward, loops back, and shifts rhythmically—mirroring the physical and emotional experience of climbing a mountain.

The themes are deeply tied to time, labor, and the act of storytelling itself. Each turn of the crank invites the audience to reflect on persistence, repetition, and the often nonlinear paths we take in life. By combining traditional storytelling methods with contemporary performance art, Second Mountain embodies a collaborative spirit while creating a tactile, communal experience for the audience.

We’re also considering how to expand the performance—potentially integrating soundscapes, live music, or audience participation—to further engage the viewers in this shared journey. The ultimate goal is to create something that feels timeless yet modern, grounding us in the simplicity of light and shadow while exploring the complexities of narrative and time.

Second Mountain is about more than the story being told; it’s about the act of telling itself—the repetition, the struggle, the beauty in the climb. We’re excited to bring this to life in a way that invites audiences into an intimate yet expansive experience.

Expand is on view until January 18, 2025, at Providence College, Reilly Gallery, Rhode Island.

Hillerbrand+Magsamen is the collaborative art practice of Mary Magsamen and Stephan Hillerbrand, a husband-wife team making work that explores the relationships between home (house and family), histories, memories, and the mise-en-scène of daily lifestyle and consumerism. They live in Houston, TX and have worked collaboratively for over 20 years on videos, photography, installations, and interdisciplinary performances. They work with process and embrace the unpredictable, literally tearing down and rebuilding their physical environments to playfully critique their lives. As momentary experiences become magnified through their diverse practice, the viewer is given insights into the edges of their world. They are not interested in fitting into a defined box, but rather expanding boxes through collaboration with others and experimentation. Balancing humor and tension, they amplify their home life, exploring their relationships to each other and society with an uncanny sensibility that merges the real and unreal. Their work has been presented at festivals, including Ann Arbor Film Festival, Fusebox Festival, CounterCurrent Festival and Diffusion Photography Festival. Exhibitions include the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Everson Museum, NY, and Center for Photography Woodstock, NY. They have received numerous grants including two Fulbright Fellowships and a MacDowell Colony residency.

Instagram: @hillerbrand_magsamen