ANN HAMILTON (American, born 1956) Reflection (12:00 to 12:55), 1999-2001 Suite of twelve Iris prints Edition 5/10 47 x 34" (119.4 x 86.4 cm.) Sarah Norton Goodyear Fund, 2001

Ann Hamilton is best known as an installation artist. This set of twelve photographic prints was made on the site of her installation at the Venice Biennale, an important international art exhibition where she represented the United States in 1999. As part of her project in Venice, Hamilton created a glass wall that stood in front of the American pavilion, distorting the view into and out of the building. Resonant with the light and water of Venice itself, the effect was that of looking at the building as reflected in water.

That same glass wall obscures these images. The shadowy figure you see is the artist herself. Hamilton took these twelve photographs at the pavilion over the period of an hour every five minutes for sixty minutes. Trained in the textile arts and sculpture, she has recently been exploring photography. However, unlike a traditional photograph, her intent here is not to capture a moment in time but a series of moments over time.

These are Iris prints, so-called because they are made using a special Iris printer; a sophisticated digital machine that can be precisely programmed to control color saturation and ink density.

- Jennifer Bayles, Educator for Special Projects