Something About Mythology

The Convention Center's auditorium is located just behind this wall.  Specifically designed for this boundary between our everyday world and a performance space, Eileen Neff's photographic installation invites us to think of it as an imagery entrance.  

Above us is a Greek vase resting in red soil, as if it had recently been excavated from an archeological site.  Embodying a classic beauty, it silhouettes a musician and his audience.

Facing us, a large silvery photo also depicts a performance with a stringed instrument.  Unlike the lyre player shown above, this contemporary artist has run his strings from wall to wall, allowing a whole room to become the sounding box.   We see the musician at work on the left and an attentive listener on the right.  Perhaps the "something about mythology" suggested by Neff's title concerns art's ability both to endure and to change.

Commissioned by the Pennsylvania Convention Center