Still processing Jacob Koopman’s tribute to Normal Heights

Sep 26

Jacob Koopman’s immersive gallery show, Processed: Normal Heights, which was on display from September 19 to 21 at Safelight Labs, provided an in-depth portrayal of a neighborhood that coincided seamlessly with the 43rd Annual Adams Avenue Street Fair. Amplified by concentrated synesthesia, Jacob employed his Kawaii concert series piano as the show’s core processor: the ivory keys serving as a nexus of sight and sound to analyze his memories of a place preserved on celluloid.

“Basically, it’s a love letter to Normal Heights. Not the curated version, but the real one,’’ Jacob said. “The alleys, the faded signs, the cracked sidewalks that remember more than they reveal. These images were all captured on film, processed by hand, and selected with care. Nothing here is rushed. Nothing is perfect. That’s the point.”

Extraordinarily, Jacob intricately transformed Safelight’s studio into an interactive diorama of his living room, replete with all his creative preoccupations — even a vinyl record nook. It was a chance to take a peek into the way his mind maps his surroundings through artistic expression, and process its emotional implications. Attendees were encouraged to have their Rolieflex portraits taken by friend and collaborator, Ethan Dow, improvise on the piano, and reflect on their own relationship with the neighborhood.

“The amount of effort put into making it feel like you stepped inside of his thoughts and ideas did not go unnoticed — the dim lighting, how he hung up the darkroom prints to make it look like you were in his darkroom, the power lines bursting through the print reaching to the ceiling really made it feel like you were a part of the project,” friend and collaborator Ethan Dow said. “And then to top everything off, the music really tied it together really diving deeper into emotion and how the imagery made you feel. I was deeply honored to be able to be a part of this journey and watch this project come to fruition.”

A voracious autodidact and ardent defender of the community, Jacob never resorted to half-measures in pursuing his vision, and it shows. You can take him out of Normal Heights, but you can’t take Normal Heights out of him.