Georges Rousse Durham Project

A really exciting project is underway in Durham: photographer/installation artist Georges Rousse is at work on four installations at various locations downtown.

Rousse is known for his mind-blowing trompe l'oeil works set in generally derelict buildings. In person, the installations look like an assortment of random geometric painted shapes and wall cutouts, until one stands in the magic spot where Rousse places his camera and it all resolves into an amazing mirage that oscillates on the retina between 2D and 3D. Indeed, a superficial first look at his photographs may elicit a response such as 'So what? The guy just pasted a geometric grid on top of a room in Photoshop'.

Then you realize how he did it, and the response is more like, 'Holy shit!'

Rousse was invited to Durham by Frank Konhaus and Ellen Cassilly, who kindly asked me to be on the photography committee for the project. This has involved helping to procure the necessary equipment and technical advice for the end result, which is Rousse's large-format photographs of the installations that he produces in editions of five.

I visited the first two sites this past weekend, and there is a very enthusiastic cadre of volunteers doing the grunt work of cutting, painting, and prepping the sites . Some photographs I took can be seen here (and I'll be adding as the project progresses). More on the project here.

A project by an artist of Rousse's stature in our midst is a real coup. Kudos to Frank and Ellen and everyone who contributed.