Creative and disturbing Infinity Mirrors as Materials

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Published: Dec 30, 2023
Keywords:
mirror infinity utopia heterotopia space self simulacrum
Petra Constantinescu
a:1:{s:5:"el_GR";s:21:"University of Potsdam";}
Abstract

As simple as it may seem, especially as a quotidian object, the mirror harbours considerable potency when taken out of the conventional context and placed, for example, in an artwork. The paper investigates the liminal materiality/ spatiality of the mirror(s). When he developed his theory of spatiality, Foucault identified the mirror’s potential and unveiled its transitional qualities. Therefore, the article will assess the mirror’s properties mainly through the lens of Foucault’s theory. Two of Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’ will provide the examples for the main focus points of the analysis. These mirrored installations uncover in a practical sense the Foucauldian reflections: the concurrently creative and unsettling power of this material. As will be shown, when inspecting the material more closely, the questions that arise lead to some of Barthes’ thoughts on authenticity and imagery, as well as to Deleuze’s idea of the simulacrum. The mirror is an ambiguous, elusive material – it can help generate (virtual) infinity, but can irritate, confuse and perturb the common perception just as much.

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