My work is a reflection of the quiet, contemplative moments that emerge when we pause to look and listen to the world around us—when we allow the land, the elements, the natural world to speak in their own language. Through the lens of 16mm film, photography, and Zen Buddhism I engage with landscapes and moments that carry deep ecological and existential weight—attending to the minute details, the small gestures, and the direct experience of phenomena without the superimposition of conceptual description.
Working with 16mm film as an analog medium that demands slowness and precision, I can engage in a more tactile relationship with my surroundings. This form of filmmaking becomes a meditation in itself; a way to slow down and be fully present in the landscape. Through this practice, I’ve come to understand my role as an artist not as one who controls or shapes the narrative, but as one who observes, listens, and responds. Whether I’m walking through the woods with a roll of film, documenting the mundane yet meaningful world around me, or experimenting with alternative film processing methods; I’m constantly seeking ways to engage more deeply with the earth.
Water reflecting the sky.
moss covered rocks and marvelous clouds.
the trail from or, what surrounds a parking lot.
The landscapes around us are full of stories that transcend human timeframes, and through my work, I attempt to honor these stories without force, but rather with a spirit of humility and reverence. Ultimately, my films are not simply representations of the world—they are part of it.
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York and raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley, Matt Shaw attended College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. After earning his BA in Human Ecology he enrolled in a year of the college’s MPhil program before attending the University of Illinois at Chicago. At UIC he was part of a small interdisciplinary program of artists and earned his MFA in Moving Image in 2014. He has been back in Maine since 2017, working at College of the Atlantic, Blue Hill Books, and as a freelance filmmaker. A member of the Morgan Bay Zendo and Zen DownEast, he is a student of Diane Shoshin Fitzgerald, in the combined lineage that derives from Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett and Robert Aitken Roshi. His art practice has been supported by LEF Foundation, Maine Arts Commission, Arteles Creative Center, the Anahata Foundation, a Flaherty Film Seminar Fellowship, and the Kindling Fund. His work has been exhibited in gallery and cinema settings across the US, Western Europe, and in India.
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P.O. Box 781 Blue Hill, ME 04614
mshaw410(at)pm(dot)me