Meredith James

New York, NY
March – April 2007

About the Artist
Meredith James’s sculptures explore the mystery in perceived absence, be it in the history of an object or in the interior space of a house. The discovery of hidden places between walls and under stairs in historic houses implies the possibility of countless more unfound and unmapped spaces. Secret chambers indefinitely extend the breadth of a house by turning walls into doorways, poking holes in the traditional boundaries of domestic architecture. In her work floors, windows and doors play multiple physical and visual roles, forcing viewers to constantly reevaluate the point of view from which they see the "house.” She graduated from Harvard College where she received the Albert Alcalay Prize for achievement in Studio Art. She has curated two group shows in her former Soho loft and participated in a group show at Rivington Arms Gallery in New York City. She lives and works in New York City.

Project Description
When I was at Sculpture Space I built a machine of doors and clock weights. When you walk into the room, you see three free-standing sets of doors. When you turn the knob on the closest door, the clock weight pulls the door open and holds it suspended in place. When you open all the doors in sequence, the open doors form a simple spiral. Opening the last door you find yourself at a dead end. To exit the sculpture, you have to walk back through a corridor of doors.