Ann Hamilton: tropos
October 7, 1993–June 19,1994, Dia Chelsea
Overview
Ann Hamilton’s installations are complexly structured environments designed to provoke somatic responses and wide-ranging metaphorical associations. For tropos, Hamilton replaced the gallery’s transparent windows with translucent glass and covered the floor with a vast pelt of interwoven animal hair. Stitched together in undulating swirls, this peculiar and fantastic hide created a new topography. Integrated into this environment stood a small metal table and a stool, where a seated figure methodically burned out the text of an old book with a soldering iron, releasing a steady stream of smoke that wisped up from the pages. Visitors were invited to traverse the space, engaging with the pelt as they navigated its irregularities.
Books
Ann Hamilton: Tropos
Documenting an installation by Ann Hamilton at Dia, this richly illustrated book includes essays by Lynne Cooke, Dave Hickey, Bruce Ferguson, and Marina Warner.