Dalston House

A reflection makes visitors lying on the ground seem to climb a house.

TRY THIS

Compare the installation photographs with a view of the entire set. Locate the mirror and the horizontal façade before reading the reflected figures as climbers.

ORIGIN / ATTRIBUTION

Leandro Erlich

2013 — temporary installation

Hackney, London, England

The story behind it

The Barbican commissioned Erlich’s Dalston House for a temporary installation in Hackney in 2013. A life-size house façade lay horizontally beneath a mirror set at 45 degrees. Participants posed on the façade; their reflections appeared to hang from windows or scale the wall.

What’s happening?

The angled mirror makes a horizontal set read as a vertical building. Reflected bodies share its apparent orientation, while the familiar windows and door suggest an upright house. The apparent defiance of gravity comes from interpreting the reflected scene.

A NOTE ON THE HISTORY

This was a temporary 2013 installation. The linked photographs document the work; they are not evidence that it is currently on display.

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LondonmirrorsreflectioninstallationarchitectureLeandro Erlich

FOLLOW THE SOURCES

History, evidence & image credit

Frequently asked questions

What is Dalston House?

A reflection makes visitors lying on the ground seem to climb a house.

What should I look for in Dalston House?

Compare the installation photographs with a view of the entire set. Locate the mirror and the horizontal façade before reading the reflected figures as climbers.

What explains Dalston House?

History, evidence & image credit

Frequently asked questions

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