Ann Hamilton Myein
Organized by: –
Commissioners:
Katy Kline, Helaine Posner
The Greek word myein refers to both an anomalous contraction of the eye and, from an ethimological point of view, to the word mystery. The installation explored such issues as: how do we know what we know and what we are blind to; the differences between learning through sight and learning through touch; the relations ship between seeing and hearing; the revelation of that which is invisible and the veiling of that which is seen; the longing for solitude and the desire to be part of a larger social unit. The project engaged the exterior and interior of the pavilion through several unifying gestures.
The approach to the pavilion was blocked by a steel and glass grid that spanned its 90 ft width and extended up 18 ft. The irregularity of the transparent glass distorted the view of the building. The walls of the four galleries were encrusted with enlarged Braille texts (translated from a long poem by Charles Reznikoff) and by a red powder which slowly sifted from the ceiling, covering texts and floor, while a whispering voice spelled out the second inaugural discourse by Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War.