Suchi Reddy’s LOOK HERE installation debuted on July 1st at Washington, D.C.’s National Building Museum in what President Aileen Fuchs says promises visitors a reflective experience that is equal parts ”intriguing, peaceful, and playful.”
Reddy is the first BIPOC woman designer to partner with the museum’s Summer Block Party series, a popular public-facing program now in its sixth overall iteration.
The installation features both a series of sculptural mirrored "fortune-tellers" hanging above an oval-shaped ramp inside the hall’s Center Court, along with 8-foot-long kaleidoscope-covered elements at its platform terminus that create a set of experiences of the building and city’s history curators say are in line with Reddy’s deep-held philosophy about the impact of architecture on everyday citizens
Reddy explains: “My mantra is form follows feeling. I believe that architecture, environments, and experiences play an essential role in shaping an understanding of ourselves as humans with agency, equity, and empathy.”
Depictions of the 1963 March on Washington and other historical events offer a reflection of the role and purpose of a nation's capitol, while the eight prominent Corinthian columns of the hall itself are also highlighted in order to further the installation's contemplative theme. The installation also doubles as a dance space in the evening. Reddy says finally, "it’s my hope that they will see themselves in the reflective surfaces, as part of these important moments in our history."
"By transforming our Great Hall into an abstract ‘Hall of Mirrors,’ we hope our visitors will come to appreciate the Museum’s unique architectural details and D.C.’s important activist history through an entirely new lens. We know our visitors are eagerly awaiting this hugely popular annual installation we can’t wait to welcome them in to experience," Fuchs added.
A series of public events, workshops, and lectures (including one with Reddy on July 17th) will supplement the exhibition, with free admission to residents offered on select Wednesdays through August 17th. The exhibition closes on September 4th. More information about Suchi Reddy's LOOK HERE and other exhibitions can be found on the museum's webpage.
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