Leeza Meksin
Turret Tops, August 2019 - October 26, 2020
Neoprene, glideskin, ribbon, thread, galvanized steel and concrete
240 x 246 inches each
Courtesy of the artist.
Photo credit: Clements and Featheringill Photography
Location: deCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden, Lincoln, MA 01773
For Turret Tops I reproduced the signature turrets of the historic deCordova mansion which houses the museum. The turrets, made to scale and covered in neoprene are installed as a pair on the grounds of the Sculpture park, reiterating that architectural element in the building’s own design. Although turrets were once useful elements of a castle’s fortification system, they have long since become ornamental additions sitting, typically, at the pinnacle of a built structure. The triangular shapes of the turrets are similar to both skirts and breasts, and the fact that they appear as a pair furthers this allusion. "Turret Tops" explores the very nature of our dwellings. What do we build for ourselves and why? How do the forms that house our bodies and shape our daily activities contradict, affirm or debase those same bodies? How does decoration in architecture reinforce and reiterate gender stereotypes and biases? With this project I investigate the ways in which ornamentation in architecture relates to objectification and exploitation of female-bodied people, queering the experience of architecture and public space.
Donations on artist's behalf would go to the Equal Justice Initiative.
meksin.com
Inquiries: eileen@neumeraki.com
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