Josiah McElheny: Two Walking Mirrors

A solo exhibition of sculptures by Josiah McElheny periodically inhabited and animated by Harvard University dance students.

Curated by James Voorhies

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
October 1–25, 2015

Made possible with funding and staff of Harvard University’s Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts; realized within my responsibilities as Director and Curator of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts

Two Walking Mirrors was comprised of two sculptures, each made with parallel rectilinear panels of full-length mirrors in which viewers would catch their reflections. The sculptures periodically become part of performances when performers—in fact, Harvard University dance students—inhabited the works, transforming the objects into a kind of fashion accessory. Interrupting the inanimate stature of sculpture, the performers put on the objects using nylon shoulder straps. Once harnessed, they lifted the objects off the ground and begin to walk, stepping into the surrounding realm of exhibition and moving amongst viewers at whatever pace they choose, interacting verbally (or not) with visitors.

The performers were unable to see directly in front of them because the vertical panels block their sightline. Therefore, they needed to look down at the floor to follow a line drawn by McElheny. This line drawing was inherently articulated by the specific architectural qualities of Le Corbusier’s architecture at the Carpenter Center and the location of the pedestals in the gallery.

Organized in collaboration with the Harvard Dance Project, the performances were 15 and 30 minutes taking place around 5 p.m. on selected days during the month of October 2015.

Josiah McElheny: Two Walking Mirrors for the Carpenter Center was part of something I called “The Interstitial,” a program that took advantage of the time and physical space between exhibitions. The Interstitial hosted a number of performances, installations, and time-based events that could transpire over the course of an evening or several days dependent on different circumstances.

Booklet