Interactive installation reflects Ponce de Leon Avenue

‘Assembly’ is intended to prompt discourse among passersby.

Atlanta-based artist Gregor Turk has installed dozens of convex security mirrors on the front lawn of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church inviting pedestrians to pause and reflect.

For the work at 1026 Ponce De Leon Avenue in Virginia Highland (across the street from the historic Majestic Diner and Plaza Theatre), Turk was commissioned by the church to use public art to activate the front of its campus with a sculpture that beckons motorists and is interactive for pedestrians. The installation will remain for a year.

Comprising 33 stainless-steel convex security mirrors arranged in a 42-foot arc, “Assembly” serves to alter passersbys’ perceptions of self and place. Three mirror sizes range in diameter from 20 inches to 34 inches. Pedestrians are invited to engage with the multitude of their reflections, observe obstructed and distorted views of their surroundings, and interact with the physicality of the discs.

Turk said in his art statement that the “mirrors allows for a variety of (sometimes conflicting) interpretations: a constellation; a congregation; sentinels; reflections of self — fractured, self-absorbed, and/ or confrontational; presence vs. absence; fear vs. protection; surveillance vs. security; authority; and community. The installation is intended to prompt discourse with the viewer’s surroundings and perhaps among fellow observers.”

Known for his public art installations, ceramic sculpture, photography, and mixed-media constructions, Turk often incorporates mapping imagery, cultural signage, and marking place into his artwork. His work is included in the High Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art — Georgia, JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, and numerous other public and private collections. He has permanent public art installations in airports (Atlanta and Jacksonville), parks, public safety facilities, schools, and a public library.

Turk has completed two other recent projects using security materials. At the Hambidge Center in Rabun County, Turk erected a series of security mirrors in the forest along the Georgia/North Carolina border. Currently on display in the lobby of the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens is “Welcome,” a 30-foothigh wall-mounted installation of 77 security cameras that spell the word.

COURTESY OF GREGOR TURK Atlanta-based artist Gregor Turk’s “Assembly” installation outside Druid Hills Presbyterian Church will remain in place for a year.