
first image
'the event of a thread' by ann hamilton
image © james ewing courtesy park avenue armory
ann hamilton: the event of a thread
park avenue armory, new york
on now through january 6th, 2013
presenting her first new piece in new york in more than a decade, american artist ann hamilton merges the transitory presence of time with
the tactility of material to create a large-scale installation - 'the event of a thread' - for the 55,000-square-foot wade thompson drill hall.
a field of 42 large wood-plank swings - able to accommodate two people at once - fill the expansive space, with a massive kinetic curtain
forming a backdrop that reacts to the sway of each visitor through a rope-and-pulley system.
commissioned by the armory, the work references the building’s architecture, as well as the individual encounters and congregational
conclaves that permeates its rich social history. in addition to these elements, hamilton also introduces into the mix pigeons that are supposed
to be released at the end of each day to fly around the space and 'home' to a large cage at the back of the hall.
the multisensory artwork fuses movement, sound, and live events that invite visitors to connect through the reactions of one another
and the work itself, revealing and celebrating the virtue of the singular and collective body.

the multisensory artwork fuses movement, sound, and live events that invite visitors to connect through the reactions of each other
image © debbie glasserman

a field of 42 large wood-plank swings - able to accommodate two people at once - fill the expansive space
images © debbie glasserman

hamilton also introduces into the mix pigeons that are supposed to be released at the end of each day to fly around the space and 'home' to a large cage at the back of the hall
images © debbie glasserman
a video showing the curtain react to the swings
visitors using the large swings
ann hamilton discusses her work
via collabcubed