#mirror complexities

'Graham wanted to establish a relation between urban planning, the town, and art – a relation in which the artist’s role was to deconstruct the spectacle: ‘Architecture defines certain cultural and psychological boundaries, video may intercede to replace or re-arrange some of these boundaries’. (Urban Screens Reader pg. 222)

In 1970s America, in the context of postwar suburban development, Graham was largely concerned with the influence of suburban planning and the newly introduced cable television on the social environment. Through reflection – either literally, by placing mirrors in homes (Alteration to a Suburban House, 1978/1992), or by putting large video screens outside the home (Video Projection Outside Home, 1978) that showed everything that was watched on the television – Gra- ham reflected the radical changes in the social landscape. By focusing on the spectators’ perception of themselves, through a reconsideration of space, Graham tried to make people aware of public space and their role in it. (Urban Screens Reader pg. 222)