Steel pipe, black paint, mirror
Overall dimensions variable (site responsive); Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; mirror: 8 in. (20 cm) diameter
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York
In 1971, Nancy Holt created the first of her Locators, sculptural “seeing devices” that draw attention to visual perception and place. The Locators developed from Holt’s interest in the circularity of photography and are simple constructions made from industrial pipes welded into a T-shape, designed to be looked through with one eye. Holt’s first Locators looked out the windows of her West Village loft, directing the viewer’s gaze toward details of the built environment, such as a cracked window or an exhaust pipe.
The following year, Holt expanded the visual language of the Locators through what she called “Loci,” painted circles and ellipses that resolve into perfect black circles, edged with a ring of light, when viewed through the Locators. She was interested in drawing attention to the processes, rather than the subject, of seeing.
Dual Locators was made in 1972 and was first installed at the University of Montana Art Gallery in Missoula, Montana. It is a sculpture intended to be looked through in two directions: toward a mirror mounted on one wall and toward a black circle, the Locus, painted on the opposite wall. When one looks towards the mirror, one sees oneself looking.
Holt set clear instructions for installation. The Locators are the same height, 60 inches, and are placed facing a wall in either direction. The first is placed exactly 39½ inches from an eight-inch-diameter mirror, secured to the wall and centered on the axis of the Locator. The second Locator is placed 141¼ inches from the mirror, again centered. The Locus is site-responsive and is determined by the distance between the second Locator and the wall opposite the mirror. It is painted directly onto the wall, and its edges are set to visually sit just inside the edge of the circular frame when viewed through the second Locator, creating a halo effect.
