IN DIALOGUE WITH THE PAST, 2019
Walter Gropius nickel-coated brass door handles, 4 x 11 x 5 cm
Placed at the entrance door to the exhibition, a work you encounter almost unconsciously: the usual door handle leading into the gallery has been replaced with a door handle designed by Walter Gropius, a 20th century German architect, urban planner and theorist. The handle is both a tactile introduction to Walker and Walker’s work, while also immediately linking you to the canon of art, design and literature from which their work takes influence and inspiration.
But while the handle is a specific cultural artefact, it also possesses a unique personal history made visible in part by the aged patina. The once nickel plated handle is now almost completely eroded by usage, exposing the underlining brass body, speaking of those who came in contact with it over the course of time, and possessing a presence of a past which is unique to itself and continues to develop for the duration of the exhibition.
Installation at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Walter Gropius nickel-coated brass door handles, 4 x 11 x 5 cm
Placed at the entrance door to the exhibition, a work you encounter almost unconsciously: the usual door handle leading into the gallery has been replaced with a door handle designed by Walter Gropius, a 20th century German architect, urban planner and theorist. The handle is both a tactile introduction to Walker and Walker’s work, while also immediately linking you to the canon of art, design and literature from which their work takes influence and inspiration.
But while the handle is a specific cultural artefact, it also possesses a unique personal history made visible in part by the aged patina. The once nickel plated handle is now almost completely eroded by usage, exposing the underlining brass body, speaking of those who came in contact with it over the course of time, and possessing a presence of a past which is unique to itself and continues to develop for the duration of the exhibition.
Installation at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
