"one of the most exciting art experiences in the Portland area"
Article - Brianna Wheeler, Arts Editor, Willamette Week

The Artist

Steven Ochs is a pioneering American multimedia artist celebrated for his exploration of human emotions and perspectives though evocative and technically innovative works. His artistic roots were planted during his service in the Air Force and nurtured further during a transformative assignment with the United Nations in Baghdad. Today, he is primarily focused on "The Portal," an overnight immersive experience that invites visitors into a deeply personal exploration of his artistic universe.

His latest innovation, the "Rainbow Collection," is a series of works that employ a brand-new medium he invented for exploration called StereoLayering. This technique seamlessly blends his signature montages with nuanced AI elements to produce a mesmerizing pseudo-3D experience. The collection aims to place viewers at the heart of the art, inviting them to engage both emotionally and perceptually. With the invention of StereoLayering, Ochs has not only added a new medium to the art world but also redefined what art can be, making each viewer an integral part of the experience.

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Artist Statement

The ultimate goal of Steven Ochs' art is to blur the lines that separate the artwork from the viewer, and even to dissolve the distinctions between art and life itself. This transformative dialogue is deeply rooted in the principles of Quantum Bayesianism (QBism), a philosophy that Ochs has uniquely extended to the broader scope of life. QBism posits that the observer actively shapes their own reality, a concept that Ochs' art elevates by transforming the viewer from a passive spectator into an active participant in the artistic experience.

Throughout his artistic journey, Ochs has consistently aimed to dissolve the boundaries between art and life, making the viewer an integral part of the artwork. Whether through large immersive installations or his latest innovation, StereoLayering, the core philosophy remains consistent: to engage the viewer emotionally and perceptually.

StereoLayering, a groundbreaking medium that combines AI and photomontage, creates a pseudo-3D experience that adds a new dimension to the viewer's perception. The stereoscopic space between the viewer's eyes interacts with the layers in the artwork, causing the mind to perceive a 3D reality where there is none. This perceptual shift serves as a powerful metaphor for the QBist idea that reality is participatory.

Each of Ochs' pieces also centers around a chosen emotion, serving as a focal point for the viewer's engagement. This emotional core invites the viewer to not just look but to feel, adding another layer of interactivity. The viewer's emotional engagement with the artwork serves as the catalyst for collapsing a myriad of potential experiences into a singular, personal reality.

In engaging with Steven Ochs' art, viewers are not merely observing; they are participating in a dynamic dialogue that continuously reshapes both the artwork and their perception of it. Ochs invites audiences to join him in this transformative journey, exploring the limitless possibilities that arise when art and life are no longer separate but are parts of a greater, interconnected whole.



Goose Cube Studio

In 2020, a year that shook the world in many ways, Steven Ochs found an opportunity for artistic rebirth. With a career already rich in innovation and collaboration, Steven felt a growing urge to deepen the emotional and perceptual engagement of his audience. It was this yearning that led to the inception of Goose Cube Studio, a sanctuary for immersive art that would revolutionize the way people experience artistic creations.

The name "Goose Cube" itself is a nod to the transformative power of art. Just as a goose takes to the skies in majestic flight, the "cube" represents the multi-dimensional space in which viewers can soar through new artistic realities. The studio became a crucible for Steven's groundbreaking work, a place where art and viewer could become one.

It was here that Steven developed StereoLayering, a new medium that would become the cornerstone of his "Rainbow Collection." This technique allowed him to create art that wasn't just to be seen but to be felt, experienced, and interacted with. The studio quickly became an overnight experience for art enthusiasts, tech innovators, and curious minds, all drawn by the allure of an art form that invited them to step inside and become a part of it.

Goose Cube Studio wasn't just a space; it was a movement, a shift in the artistic paradigm that challenged the traditional boundaries between art and viewer. It became the physical and conceptual platform where Steven could focus on his ultimate goal: to immerse people so deeply into his art that the line between observer and participant became beautifully blurred.

Today, Goose Cube Studio stands as a testament to the limitless possibilities of immersive art, forever changing the way we engage with artistic expression. And it all began with a vision, in a year that demanded change, from an artist who refused to see boundaries.