York Art Gallery - Brainstorming

Tuesday 2nd November 2004

Important points

• To create an installation that has a strong aesthetic through the day
• To recognise and work with the day/ night cycles
• To build on the historical foundations of York:
  • York Heritage
  • Strong arts and craft movement in mid 19C, The Great Exhibition
  • Original stone design and patterns for York and building, some never produced
  • Historical research into glass windows and the figurative narratives of such decoration
  • Original function of the building, a layering of history

• To expore the optical properties of light and glass
  • working with reflection and mirroring

Function of commission?

• To welcome a new audience to the museum
• Bring life to and lift the facade of the building
• open up the collection as well as the contemporary collection
• To make York a safer place through light
• A tourist attraction as well as for the people of York

Outcomes

• to work with the top 10 windows as a single active display
• Blinking Light Projects
  • http://www.blinkenlights.de/

• Interested in showing the layering of history in building
• Haunted building, fleeting motions
• figurative design in architectural decoration
• the change of the space from day to night
• to open the installation to the public, public involvement/ interaction
• The building reflects, amplifying the areas activity
• Safety, cctv footage
• City soundscape, directional microphone

Research TO-DO

• SoftWare Biomotion movement
  • Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge, English by birth, immigrates to America in 1851.
In the 1860s he photographs the landscape of the West. In the spring of
1872 Leland Stanford invites him to photograph his horses. Stanford,
set on developing the greatest racing stable in the West, uses every
scientific research to reach his goal. At the time there is disagreement
about whether or not all feet leave the ground at one time during the
gallop.

• Cathedral construction * Book, An Outline of European Architecture, Nikolaus Pevsner
• Daniel Rozin, Mirrors fun mirrors and object video imaging
  • http://fargo.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~danny/art.html

• Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending Staircase

Saturday 6th November 2004

Look into Infinity, creating the illusion of space

This exhibit consists of two parallel mirrors. The mirror at the back of
the box is a conventional plane mirror. The second mirror, on the front
of the box, is only partially silvered. One string of Christmas tree lights
is placed between the two mirrors. Light from these bulbs is reflected
back and forth between these mirrors, forming multiple images.
You are able to see these images because some of the light escapes
through the partially silvered, front mirror.

• http://nths.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/math/Connections/reflection/infinity.htm

INFINITE REFLECTION

  The fact that light can get through the mirror is not always bad. If you place a mirror behind the two-way mirror (around 2 inches away) and box it in, then there will be an infinite reflection of your image when looking at the two-way mirror. This can be used for many things like placing the mirror behind flowers to make them appear infinitely deep or... well you can use your imagination on this one.. Note: A ROUND CONVEX Two-Way (see-through) mirror works even better than the flat two-way mirror. With the convex two-way lens, it looks like your looking into another dimension because the concave side of the mirror (facing inside the box) is reflecting the image at many different angles. It is difficult to explain but it really looks neat. (Convex two-way mirrors must be ordered special. We do not stock these mirrors and will only make them on a special request. The lead time depends on when we are running the flat two-way mirrors so I would expect a two or three week lead time. Also: We can not accept any returns on special ordered items. If you would like to order one of our standard mirrors with the two-way coating, call us at 770-642-2104 or send a fax to 770-642-8246. The price will be calculated on the quantity and size of the mirror you desire. Just as a point of reference, the special order two-way lens would cost around the same, or less, as the standard mirror with no back. see CONVEX MIRRORS. There would NOT be a mount on the mirror.

• http://www.factorymirror.com/transparent-mirror.htm

Camera Obscura

CameraObscura

• http://brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html

Lenses

• http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/lens/lens.htm

stained glass windows

Bill Viola, Catherines Room 2001

It consists of five small flat screens, displayed at eye height, each showing the
interior of a room at different times of the day. Although it is the same room
with an identical branch of a tree visible outside, the light through the window
and the furniture change in each screen. The passing of time is also marked by
the simple activities undertaken by the woman: washing her face, doing
morning yoga, sewing, studying, lighting candles at an altar, reading
and sleeping.

Olafur Eliasson

-- RachelWingfield - 02 Nov 2004

to top