David M.C. Miller - installing fire

- Installing Fire, 1984

Installation views and two details.

Visitors enter the gallery from a connecting hallway and are invited to take a small envelope from a wall mounted dispenser. Each envelope contains a small photograph depicting one of 25 hand tools: a hammer, a pencil, an awl, a mallet, an axe, a brush, shovel, a tape measure, ruler, compass...

A grid of twine composed of twelve equal squares is drawn above the gallery floor. The floor piece abuts one wall and extends towards but does not meet the adjacent and opposite walls. The gallery is spatially irregular.

A single track lamp illuminates the south wall. A composite photograph that depicts twelve views of the gallery before and in preparation for installation hangs on the east wall. A wooden lightbox connected to a switch houses a colour photograph of fire and is mounted to the north wall.

Elements:

Two typewritten texts on card wall mounted in hallway.

A dispenser made from yellow and clear Plexiglass, holds 200 envelopes each of which contains one brown toned, resin coated, silver gelatine print.

Lightbox: Duratrans film, wood, electrical switch, incandescent lamp.

Composite photograph: resin coated, silver gelatine print, white push pins.

Floor piece: twine, 3" nails.

Announcements placed throughout the art school: "Free Coffee", chromogenic colour prints.

Anna Leonowens Gallery III, NSCAD, Halifax, Nova Scotia