Doug Aitken – Mirage Detroit

Mirage Detroit is a site-specific installation by artist Doug Aitken, set within the over hundred year old former State Savings Bank in Downtown Detroit. The installation opens October 10, 2018. This immersive, mirrored installation will reflect the entire space in which it is situated, activating this seminal historic building.

Detroit is an American city that captures the imagination with a history rooted in both industry and culture.  Walking through the streets of downtown Detroit, the viewer arrives at the stone façade where a set of stairs leads to an entryway. Opening the door leads into a vast interior space that spans nearly an entire block and is lined with classical columns. The center of the space is anchored with a century old bank vault. The building’s architecture is intact, as if frozen in time and waiting to be re-awakened. Passing the vault, the visitor walks further into the darkened room where slowly choreographed lights illuminate Mirage Detroit. River rocks and earth crunch under foot as the lights reflect off the structure and beckon the viewer to enter the artwork.

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Read a preview in The Architect's Newspaper

Watch a film created for The New York Times here

Image: Installation view of Doug Aitken, Mirage Detroit, 2018

Photography by Conner MacPhee, courtesy the artist and Library Street Collective