Below, the atmosphere darkens. Pools of light fall from the shafts, while the elevators glide into the subterranean gloom. Moving further into the lower space, it becomes apparent that the shafts above are inhabited by a cast of sculpted figures. Their expressions and actions remain unclear, as does our own role in their private drama.
Juan Muñoz is renowned for sculptural works in which he situates the human figure within elaborate or complex architectural settings. These are created using elements such as patterned floors, staircases and balconies. Then, by a highly considered placement of the figures, Muñoz entices the viewer into an engagement with the implied dramas unravelling within. The architectural features, such as the shafts and the balcony in Double Bind, also serve as metaphors, particularly the balcony which, in Muñoz’s art, operates as a form of threshold, between spectator and performer, past and future, and subject and object.
The first commission in The Unilever Series was undertaken by Louise Bourgeois and was displayed in the Turbine Hall for the opening in 2000. Unilever’s support, totaling £1.25 million, will allow Tate Modern to commission a new large-scale work for the Turbine Hall each year until 2004. Art installation sponsored by Unilever in collaboration with Juan Munoz to create two worlds of work by the artist.
The floor space from the mezzanine level was projected to the rear of the turbine hall to create 3 zones.
- zone 1 is the floor surface at mezzanine level
- zone 2 was the space created in the structural depth of the floor in zone 1
- zone 3 was the space below the soffit of zone 3
