The Magic of Light exhibition

Hudson River Museum, 2001

“grace” began as a commissioned work for “The Magic of Light” exhibition, on view from February 1 – May 19, 2002 at the Hudson River Museum. The artist, Pietro Costa, chose the museum’s 26-foot high atrium because the skylights above it house a permanent Dan Flavin installation. Costa’s initial impetus was to create a work in dialogue with Flavin, whose life’s work has affected anyone who chooses light as a primary medium.

As the exhibition began to take shape, Costa became increasingly engaged with the architectural space of the Hudson River Museum’s atrium. “grace” evolved into a tower of light rising from the atrium’s lower floor to the main floor level, its light defining and filling the void of the atrium’s volume.

The tower is composed of 16 neon rings measuring 54″ x 60″ and held in position vertically — reaching the height of 15 feet — by the simple tension of 4 plumb bobs. The weight of the plumb bobs at the end of 4 nylon lines keeps the unknotted lines from slipping loose and causing the entire column to collapse onto itself. (Costa has used this technique of tensioned lines without knots in his neon installations since 1991.)

Ideas evolve into physical objects through the passage of time. Waking up and finding the world transformed by the graceful flight of “mechanical birds” into the World Trade Center had a profound effect on what was at the time still a work-in-progress.

Costa’s recurring dream of a blue cloudless sky raining paper and ash inspired him to name the untitled work-in-progress grace and to introduce a memorial component. Individual strips of paper representing each victim of September 11 are scattered randomly around the base of the light tower. Each carries the name of a person, their age, employer and job title, as well as where they were situated when they died. Among these strips is an unknown quantity of blanks representing the possible loss of homeless individuals and unregistered New York City residents.

Visitors to “The Magic of Light” are encouraged to pick up and take a name with them. As the strips of paper become dispersed and completely disappear, a new complete batch will replace them.

In addition to Costa, artists in “The Magic of Light” show included Stephen Antonakos, Dan Flavin, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Robert Irwin, Liz Phillips and James Turrell.

Read about “grace” for all the children, the book based on “grace” the exhibit.