The Cabinet of Imagined Mirrors
Top: Digital collage of the Cabinet imagined in the Sir John Soane Museum, London
Bottom: Cabinet in situ in the Phoenix Gallery, Brighton |
‘The Cabinet of Imagined Mirrors’ (2003) is an octagonal room (3.2 m diameter, each panel 2.4 x 1.2 m) whose walls are covered in a soft reflective surface produced by polishing powdered graphite and wax directly on to panels. In its first manifestation, a gilt-edged convex mirror stood in the centre of a temporary pale blue floor; the ceiling was draped in black muslin, through which could be seen a small ornate chandelier. Influenced by eighteenth-century mirrored rooms created for pleasure and conversation, and Francesco’ s study in Florence referred to as a ‘cage of imagined mirrors’.
This space was originally intended to enable solitary contemplation. It was built during the inaugural public residency, Watch this Space, at the Phoenix Gallery, during the 2003 Brighton Festival. It was later shown lit by candlelight, as part of the Liverpool Biennial Independents (2006). Although three-dimensional, this piece acts like a surround drawing and is connected to an earlier series of 'mirror' works using graphite, wax and plaster. The
|
Top; Detail of wall opposite entrance
Bottom: Exit from the Cabinet Centre: Other views of the Cabinet during construction |
