Glass Labyrinth
John Hill
30. May 2014
Photo: Nelson-Atkins Museum
Artist Robert Morris's permanent addition to the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, opened on May 22.
The Kansas City native's Glass Labyrinth marks the 25th anniversary of the sculpture park that sits south of the original neoclassical building and west of Steven Holl's Bloch Building addition. Made up of 7-foot-high (2-meter) glass walls capped by a bronze rail, the triangular sculpture with 62-foot (19-meter) sides weighs a whopping 485 tons (440 tonnes), belying its almost invisible appearance. Setting up a maze with invisible walls may not seem like a challenge, but Morris's creation harkens to ancient archetypes, while acting as a commentary on modernism and its reliance upon glass. Additionally, glass's inherent reflections, refractions and other qualities promise to be as confusing to visitors as solid walls.