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Summer 2008 Grin City Collective presents: 100 FOOT MIRROR - Mirage Derek Frech Collin Hatton Joe Lacina Daniel Wallace Emma Walters "Mirage" is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of the five artists in residence on the Lacina farm in Grinnell, Iowa. "Mirage" sits north of the farm in the draw of the field, a result of the reverse-irrigation method employed by the early settlers of Iowa in order to transform what was once marsh into a terrain that is now fertile for farming; making Iowa one of the most altered landscapes in the world. With this installation, the landscape is re-presented to the viewer as something that is, at the same time, familiar and foreign. Inspired by the billboard, the omnipresent structure used for transferring information, the surroundings are reflected instead of imposing an image. The effect then becomes a slight distortion of the land that heightens our awareness of the subjectivity of perception. In the end though, this is all an illusion, Although seemingly ethereal, after walking down the carved path through the alfalfa and seeing the image of oneself reflected in the Mylar affixed to the 4' x 100' wooden structure, the illusion dissolves. One can relate to the size and scale of the mirror itself, and can no longer see it as weightless and transparent. The viewer becomes part of the landscape again. At first distorted and disoriented, one gradually gains a more familiar vision of the surroundings. Walking away, the illusion returns. Although a moment of clarity and understanding was achieved, as time passes the mass of the object is again enshrouded by the illusion of transparency.    
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