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Traces
of Then and Now
Di Cintio
and Ruth refer to themselves as "architectural
archaeologists" because they uncover
unnoticed or hidden architectural detail.
They literally excavate walls, floors, and
ceilings to show evidence of the transformation
of spaces over time. In this installation,
the DIA’s original 1927 building became
the excavation site. The artists explore
the relationship among structure, decoration,
and use by displaying construction materials
extracted in the museum alongside those
from a modest east Detroit house.
Di Cintio and Ruth altered
two spaces in the DIA. In the loft above
the vaulted ceiling of the Great Hall
they have positioned a camera, presenting
the live-feed video image of the structural
supports on a monitor below. This image
is juxtaposed with a sample of humble
building materials—including gypsum,
plaster, and wire mesh—used to create
the ceiling: materials that are remarkably
similar to those recovered in the working-class
house.
In the sixteenth-century
Italian gallery, the viewer’s experience
is recontextualized through the manipulation
of light. The artists introduce a projected
image of Tintoretto’s painting The
Dreams of Men in the ceiling space
originally designed for it. They lowered
the light levels on the paintings below
and hung red velvet curtains in the doorways.
In display cases, paint samples from the
Detroit residence draw attention to the
use of color or paint in the gallery’s
ornate decoration.
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