samara golden the flat side of the knife PS1
samara golden layers dizzying domestic landscape in MoMA PS1 duplex gallery
detail of wide installation shot looking from 2nd floor down to mirrored floor
stairways, sofas, beds, tables, lamps, fans and instruments made of reflective foam insulation coated in resin
video projection, live video feed, video mixer, crt monitor, 3 soundtracks
all photos courtesy of the artist

 

 

 

samara golden: the flat side of the knife
MoMA PS1, new york
now through august 30, 2015

 

 

spanning from floor to ceiling at MoMA PS1‘s 1st floor duplex gallery is the monumental, site-specific installation by los angeles-based artist samara golden. traversing the entirety of the two-storey space, ‘the flat side of the knife’ comprises a vertical arrangement of staircases, beds, couches, tables, and accouterments; in combination with mirrors, the work multiplies the physical expanse with reflected ones that do not actually exist. at first glance, the work suggests a familiar domestic arrangement, but renders itself increasingly psychologically unnerving upon closer scrutiny.

 

the overlapping levels are referred to by the artist as ‘layers of consciousness’, drawing reference, in part, from the artist’s nearly fatal bout of pneumonia, for which she remained long-term in a hospital. ‘the flat side of the knife’ investigates the boundaries between opposing ideals — optimism and pessimism, tragedy and tranquility — by conjuring imagined domestic and institutional spaces for the audience to experience.

samara golden the flat side of the knife PS1
wide installation shot looking from 2nd floor down to mirrored floor
stairways, sofas, beds, tables, lamps, fans and instruments made of reflective foam insulation coated in resin
video projection, live video feed, video mixer, CRT monitor, 3 soundtracks

samara golden the flat side of the knife PS1
installation shot, stairs and wheelchairs made of reflective insulation foam
fabric animals on ‘migraine aura’ sculpture, and under stairway

samara golden the flat side of the knife PS1
wide installation shot looking from 2nd floor down to mirrored floor
stairways, sofas, beds, tables, lamps, fans and instruments made of reflective foam insulation coated in resin
video projection, live video feed, video mixer, CRT monitor, 3 soundtracks

samara golden the flat side of the knife PS1
installation shot looking down from the 2nd floor and into a mirrored floor reflecting a surgical bed
stairways, sofas, beds, tables, lamps, fans and instruments made of reflective foam insulation coated in resin
video projection, live video feed, video mixer, CRT monitor, 3 soundtracks