| nimbus II (after Michael Joyce's "nimbus," 2003), 2007 wire, shadow, motor, light, 80" x 62" Wallpaper (¿dónde está la escalera al cielo?), 2007 inkjet on wallpaper, installation dimensions variable Installed at LEFT at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA as part of "MOCA Focus: Alexandra Grant" and at RIGHT at the Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD as part of "Double-Take: The Poetics of Illusion and Light" |
| CURRENT EXHIBITIONS Double-Take: The Poetics of Illusion and Light Contemporary Museum, Baltimore December 20, 2007 – May 11, 2008 www.contemporary.org/exhibitions.html |
NIMBUS II: One Piece, Two Installations
Interviewer: You've recently shown your sculpture "nimbus II" at two different locations,
MOCA (the Museum of Contemporary Art) and the Contemporary Museum (in Baltimore).
What were the main differences between the two installations?
Alexandra Grant: The differences were in the space around the sculpture, architectonic.
At MOCA, we built a small room to contain the sculpture. The room was at the end of a
long passage way descending from other galleries, maybe 150 feet long. "nimbus II"
had to function at a distance of 150 feet, as you 'processed' down the ramp to it, as well
as in the intimate space of the room. The doorway around it was covered in wallpaper
created for the exhibition (wallpaper - donde esta la escalera al cielo). Initially my
intention was to project the shadow element of the piece on the wall. But from a distance
the shadow interfered with the wallpaper. The solution was to project the shadow on the
floor. That way, at a distance the sculpture became a mysterious sparkling form, and up
close revealed the shadow 'drawing' on the floor.
I: And what about at the Baltimore Contemporary Museum?
AG: Here the problem was different. "nimbus II" was installed in the main entrance
gallery. We hung the wallpaper on two adjacent walls -- it didn't frame the sculpture
itself. To animate the space, I returned to the initial intention, and projected the shadow
or drawing onto the wall behind the wire sculpture.
I: Does it change the piece? Is this now two pieces?
AG: Any piece installed in two different architectural spaces will look different, but I think
that ultimately the meaning, the semantics of the piece remain the same. That these
mundane materials -- wire, light, shadow, a small motor -- can create an illusion of text,
drawn in wire filigree and shadow, through space.
Interviewer: You've recently shown your sculpture "nimbus II" at two different locations,
MOCA (the Museum of Contemporary Art) and the Contemporary Museum (in Baltimore).
What were the main differences between the two installations?
Alexandra Grant: The differences were in the space around the sculpture, architectonic.
At MOCA, we built a small room to contain the sculpture. The room was at the end of a
long passage way descending from other galleries, maybe 150 feet long. "nimbus II"
had to function at a distance of 150 feet, as you 'processed' down the ramp to it, as well
as in the intimate space of the room. The doorway around it was covered in wallpaper
created for the exhibition (wallpaper - donde esta la escalera al cielo). Initially my
intention was to project the shadow element of the piece on the wall. But from a distance
the shadow interfered with the wallpaper. The solution was to project the shadow on the
floor. That way, at a distance the sculpture became a mysterious sparkling form, and up
close revealed the shadow 'drawing' on the floor.
I: And what about at the Baltimore Contemporary Museum?
AG: Here the problem was different. "nimbus II" was installed in the main entrance
gallery. We hung the wallpaper on two adjacent walls -- it didn't frame the sculpture
itself. To animate the space, I returned to the initial intention, and projected the shadow
or drawing onto the wall behind the wire sculpture.
I: Does it change the piece? Is this now two pieces?
AG: Any piece installed in two different architectural spaces will look different, but I think
that ultimately the meaning, the semantics of the piece remain the same. That these
mundane materials -- wire, light, shadow, a small motor -- can create an illusion of text,
drawn in wire filigree and shadow, through space.