The Listening Point

Copied Mary Van Cline, The Listening Point, 1999, photosensitive cast glass and black pate de verre, 25 3820 384 in. (64.651.710.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 1999.38

Artwork Details

Title
The Listening Point
Date
1999
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
25 3820 384 in. (64.651.710.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance
Mediums Description
photosensitive cast glass and black pate de verre
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Dress — accessory — scarf
  • Japanese
  • Dress — costume — mask
  • Architecture Exterior — detail — stairs
Object Number
1999.38

Artwork Description

Mary Van Cline took a cultural exchange residency in Japan in 1987. Inspired by Buddhist temple architecture and Japanese theater, she began to construct theater sets and narratives within her photos. The Listening Point depicts a scene outside the Kyoto Temple in which Van Cline has arranged draped figures to suggest yin and yang, the Chinese principle of universal opposites.