Untitled (Mylar), 2011

On display until April 9th at the Pace Gallery, the one at 545 West 22nd Street, is the installation Untitled (Mylar), 2011 by Tara Donovan. For those not familiar with the 2008 MacArthur Fellow's work, which uses everyday objects (plastic straws, paper plates, scotch tape, toothpicks, safety pins, plastic cups) in the thousands to create stunning effects that transcend their building blocks, check out some slideshows at ICA Boston, Time Magazine, and Ace Gallery. In her installation at Pace (one of two right now, the other is wall art made with dressmaker pins) "sheets of Mylar grow into towering organic structures of varying heights rising up to approximately 11 feet tall." The metallic finish and the way the sheets are rolled into spheres combine to give the geomorphic form varying reflections of light. From afar the effect is like dark orbs with highlights, but as one moves closer the depth of the construction reveals a gradient of silver. Just as the Mylar reflects the surrounding light it also captures it into its folds. Its an impressive installation that needs to be experienced to be appreciated; these photos don't do justice to the installation.