Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, “The Infinity Machine,” 2015. The Menil Collection, Houston. Photo: George Hixson
The Infinity Machine
Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller
Byzantine Fresco Chapel, The Menil Collection [link]
January 31, 2015-February 28, 2016
Inspired by Pythagorean theory Cardiff & Miller’s latest collaboration features a large-scale, kinetic, audio mobile. Suspended from the ceiling over 150 antique mirrors revolve, casting shadows throughout the darkened gallery. Sounds referencing space vibration echo in the Chapel, paralleling the tilting movement of the mirrors as the layers transform the environment, evoking an ominous rather than meditative space. The stark, disorienting experience reminds me of Kusama’s Infinity Rooms or Alice trapped in a myriad of looking glasses. One questions the work’s connection to the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, however the installation’s immersive quality provides the infinite atemporality promised.
~ Colette Copeland
images by George Hixson and George Bures Miller,
courtesy of the artists and the Menil Collection.
Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, “The Infinity Machine,” 2015. The Menil Collection, Houston. Photo: George Bures Miller
Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, The Infinity Machine, 2015 (detail). The Menil Collection, Houston. Photo: George Bures Miller