Myrrha/P.I.A. (Post-Industrial Age)
1984
perforated steel, plugs, steel, wood, fiberglass
29 x 16 x 4 feet
originally installed in Bryant Park, New York, NY
created for the Public Art Fund
A paradoxical work, containing contemporary and historical references to literature, art, and myth. The monumental work portrays a seated woman, face partially obscured by upraised arm, body bent forward. The image is taken from an engraving found in Gustave Dore’s illustrated version of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Constructed as a double silhouette, the figure’s details are ‘drawn’ through the use of steel plugs, which fit into the 1/2″ apertures of the work’s perforated steel surface. Visible through the cage-like enclosure formed by the silhouettes is a full, three-dimensional, skeletal rendition of the figure.
