dan graham mirrors the NYC skyline on the metropolitan museum's roof

american artist dan graham has installed a site-specific work atop the metropolitan museum of art’s iris and b. gerald cantor roof garden. situated between ivy shrubs, ‘hedge two-way mirror walkabout’ comprises undulating steel curves and two-way mirrored glass. the structure sits within a specially conceived terrain, designed in collaboration with the swiss landscape architect günther vogt. both transparent and reflective, the work ‘challenges viewers to think in new and thought-provoking ways about the streets and cities they traverse every day‘ thomas p. campbell, director and CEO of the MET describes. ‘in his reimagining of the MET’s roof, visitors will discover a picturesque landscape that is at once unexpected and familiar.’

installation view of hedge two-way mirror walkabout (2014) for the roof garden commission: dan graham with günther vogt on the metropolitan museum of art’s iris and b. gerald cantor roof garden | all images by hyla skopitz, the photograph studio, the metropolitan museum of art © 2014

the installation references old and new, intermingling the aesthetics of formal 18th-century northern european gardens with the sleek corporate skyscrapers of new york city. using glass — one of graham’s signature materials — he complements the expanse of central park that extends through the urban landscape below, and mirrors the tall buildings of midtown manhattan, forging a historic and complex relationship with both the viewer and its surroundings. the roof garden commission: dan graham with günther vogt will be on view from through november 2, 2014.

installation view of hedge two-way mirror walkabout (2014)

installation view of hedge two-way mirror walkabout (2014)

installation view of hedge two-way mirror walkabout (2014)

installation view of hedge two-way mirror walkabout (2014)

the creation of dan graham’s site-specific work hedge two-way mirror walkabout (2014)