Richard Holden
Art 297
9/30/07
ICA Assignment

The piece I chose to focus on is that of Josiah McElheny entitled “Czech Modernism Mirrored and Reflected Infinitely.” Josiah, who was born in Boston in 1966, is a modern artist known for his work with glass blowing, and he is a 2006 recipient of the MacArthur Fellows Program genius grant. Currently on display in the Accumnlations exhbiit, his piece is made up of several hand blown glass objects, notably decanters, reflected infinitely by the mirror case in which they are contained. Used to cover the case is one-way glass, which serves to prevent outside imgaes fom being reflected inside the piece, and also furthers to help reflect the objects inside, in order to create an infinite perspective when viewing the peice. This perspective created by continuous reflecitons, combined with the simplicity and roundness of the objects, combines to have a mesmorizing effect, as one tries to look deeper into the reflections. Depending from the angle the piece is viewed, it is possible to see countless reflections of the objects, as they seem to extend deeper into the ‘back’ of the case. The overall effect of viewing this piece is the loss of a sense of depth, which allows the onlooker to become lost in it.

The reason why I chose to focus on this piece was because when I first saw it, I thought that it was immediately eye catching. Unlike other pieces which were flat or simple, Josiah’s work was more interactive, as depending on where you stood, you could have a different perspective on the individual objects and how they were being reflected. From far away, the objects are more easily identifiable, but as you get closer to it, the more times you can see them being reflected, and the less distinguishable they become. While walking towards it you get the feeling that you are watching the objects pass through a tunnel, as they appear to move as the number of reflections grow the closer you get. This effect is very engaging, as it makes you want to observe the piece from every angle, in order to take in every possible perspective. I found myself more interested in viewing this piece than many of the others. While many were intriguing, such as Kelly Sherman’s “Wish List,” which was quite involving in itself in order to read the many lists, I thought that Josiah’s piece was more interesting. Because of just how simple his peiece is, consisting of just several objects encased in mirrors, it is more impersonal than other pieces, and also more futuristic, which is another reason for why I liked it. The infinite perspective and glass objects reminded me of The Twilight Zone, one of my favorite showsto watch growing up, which often used infinite perspecive to disalusion the viewer, and is another reason for why I chose this piece.