Ramanpreet & The Rooftop Garden Commission
September 24, 2014
The tranquility found in the “Rooftop Garden Commission” by Dan Graham with Günther Vogt lies in the laughter and quite conversation among the young and the old, of the muffled strides of strangers walking on top the fake grass, and of the winding mirror that reflect almost to all the people and the garden around me. The tall, winding, two-way mirrors between parallel hedges of equal height are like a centerpiece engaging the attention of visitors to enter on either side of the piece. On entering a side of the sculpture, I can see my own reflection, the reflection of another, the reflection of the hedges behind,and the reflection of Midtown Manhattan’s skyscrapers. I’ve become absorbed in the act of seeing.
I’ve read about the commission to be inspired by a maze, but never would I have expected a maze to be as transparent as this, nor as simple as this. I am not lost in trying to find my way out. Despite the curvature of the steel rimmed mirrors, my walk into the sculpture is my walk out. As I walk in, I walk alongside the curve because it is similar to how a movie reel depicts images on the big screen. I can enjoy watching several reflecting images alone, moving behind me as I step forward. With each step, however, I leave people and material objects behind me until I became the focal point with the occupied garden as my backdrop. At the end of the sculpture, I came to face myself, to see myself, to meet myself alone. My eyes were on me. I decide to turn back, essentially to acquit myself from the sculpture. I was then welcomed by the same vastness I chose to give up. I wondered afterward if my leaving these people and those objects behind meant anything if I’m left alone.
Graham’s sculpture is an interesting piece. I met with solitude and companionship much quicker than I would have wanted. However, by forcing the action of looking onto the visitor, Graham shows that these feelings are always around us. We can leave behind anything and gain anyone, but as long as we keep looking, we’ll feel something.
