...In the series Studio Lines, Allen created light trails without an obvious external referent. Based on the dimensions and movement of the artist's body, the patterns in the photographs act as a stand-in for the human form. The light lines are, in a sense, self-portraits, depicting the artist's movement and presence, rather than his actual appearance. Images of spinning, bending, or gestural sweeps of the arm capitalize on photography's ability to compress a span of time into one frame.

Adapted from a 2003 essay by Scott Shields.