Attritus

ATTRITUS

The American Academy in Rome

Dimensions:
Vitrine: H 206 x W 157 x D 107 cm.
Mirrors: 28 x 21 cm. each

Materials:
Glass, Mirror, Dust, Pigment, Metronome, Gold

Elements:
Wood and Glass vitrine filled with horizontal panes of glass, dust, mirrored floor, ticking sound, red pigment and eyes
26 mirrors distributed in the cortile, entrance and adjoining garden

Site Description:
The entrance of the Classical cortile and adjoining gardens of the American Academy in Rome, where stone remnants of ancient figures are permanently displayed. The vitrine could be viewed in the round and descending the stair from above, while the mirrors were installed throughout the courtyard garden.

Suspended within a glass vitrine, an active human figure – racing forward while looking back – was delicately constructed from dust on twenty-eight horizontal panes of glass. A mirror below the ephemeral figure reflected the form beyond the ground plane. The multiple reflections within the vitrine and the planar nature of the work created a distinct yet variable figure from each perspective. Near the base of the display case, a pair of eyes looked out from a low mound of red earth, and a metronome hidden inside ticked the passing seconds.

Beyond in the surrounding cloister, where artifacts from antiquity adorn the walls and grounds, viewers would catch glimpses of their own visages in mirrors positioned to reflect them as they passed by.

Attritus reflected upon our physical presence and the brevity of human life.