Construct NYC 20, 1984

To makeConstruct NYC 20, Barbara Kasten first arranged large-scale triangular mirrors, plaster pyramids, wooden rods, curvy latticework, and other objects recalling architectural elements in a room-sized set within her studio. She then created vibrant, saturated colors by theatrically lighting these props with colored gels and scrims, strategically generating shadows and reflections. Thus she constructed the photograph through elaborate stagecraft, rather than by manipulating the image afterward in the darkroom. By focusing on relationships of volume, mass, shape, position, and light, Kasten investigates the potential of photography as an abstract, yet still insistently representational, medium. The paradox ofConstruct NYC 20is that it realistically documents the illusionary arrangement before the camera lens.