The first solo exhibition of the New York based artist Sarah Oppenheimer at Duve Berlin presents P21 x P41, two installations with periscope like structures. P41, for example, allows the viewer to peer into the private office area of the gallery. Two holes in a wall, one above the other, allow having two lines of sight simultaneously from any given position. The hole with the periscope doubles the image and inverts it, so that the viewer sees the bottom half of the body above the top half of the body (more information after the jump).
In this interview with Sabine Trieloff, Sarah Oppenheimer talks about her installations at Duve Berlin. In addition to this episode, a video documentary of the artist talk with Sarah Oppenheimer at the American Academy in Berlin that gives a more detailed insight in her work is available below.
Sarah Oppenheimer: P21 x P41 at Duve Berlin, October 30, 2008. Interview and Opening reception.
PS: Reviews of Sarah Oppenheimer’s work at Artforum Online, Artkrush, and Modern Art Notes. Sarah Oppenheimer at the Mattress Factory, installation shots.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
Excerpt from the press release:
Oppenheimer’s work evolves from an engagement with space through sensory perception and social interaction. Visual perception and bodily movement are central to her practice; through her architectural interventions a cinematic experience of space is created.
At Duve Berlin, Oppenheimer further develops her investigation into lines of sight in a mode of seeing she calls “self conscious voyeurism”. P21 x P41 is a mirror enhanced geometric aperture inserted into the walls of the gallery. This architectural periscope reflects and multiplies sight lines. It exposes scenes not usually visible to gallery visitors. The viewer can peer into the private office area and beneath the desks of gallery staff. Unlike the cinematic gaze, the relationship between the viewer and the observed is reversible: the observed can look back at the viewer.
Sarah Oppenheimer Artist Talk at the American Academy in Berlin, 2008. Berlin, October 30, 2008 (34:13 Min.):
