Since 2002, the SCI-Arc Gallery has invited internationally recognized architects to create site-specific installations, working with a team of SCI-Arc students. MMA’s Dark Side of the Moon was on view from October 19 to December 9, 2007.

As viewers entered the gallery, a surface descended above them, arcing across the entirety of the 1400+ square foot space and gradually bending toward the gallery floor. Exploring concepts of inhabited space  and expanding the role that the “fifth facade” plays in MMA’s projects, the exhibition transformed the soffit of the gallery by positioning the structure above the gallery walls rather than within them. The smooth, curving form met visitors, encouraging them to engage the installation directly. At its lowest points, the surface allowed visitors to lift their head and shoulders through openings, into a new sphere above where they could discover an unexpected, shared experience. Dark Side of the Moon created a moment of intense simultaneity: visitors found themselves in two spaces at once, yet neither fully in one nor the other. Extending the experience of simultaneity that remains so important in the practice’s work, this barrier at the center of the gallery created a new, unified space, its curvilinear form highlighting the relationship between built form and the viewer.