I had the chance and challenge to execute a solo exhibition in a very unique space called the Barrows Rotunda. It is a circular room. Its walls are curved glass panes that run from floor-to-ceiling and are separated by metal mullions. It is located in the entrance to the Hopkins Center of the Arts at Dartmouth, which is an extremely public and well-traveled spot on campus - people walk by and pass through the adjacent doors all the time. However, the Rotunda itself must be kept locked and thus cannot be entered by like a gallery would be, so viewers cannot actually get up close to the work. As a result, the Rotunda did not lend itself to traditionally displaying my work, which is primarily two-dimensional and was especially small-scaled at the time.
I became very interested in thinking about the act of viewing art, and in designing an experience for viewers that would enable them to interact with and engage with my work in an intimate way. I created a white structure that sat inside the windows of the Rotunda and made the space appear almost blank from afar, with small beckoning openings. Those openings were tunnels I built with the intention of inviting the viewer into that world and focusing their attention. My placement of some tunnels required viewers to squat down or go up on tip-toe to take in the work, while particular bends in other tunnels encouraged viewers to move around and look at the pieces from multiple angles.