“Curbed Vanity: A Contemporary Foil” consists of two dressing tables in a room with 120 years between them.
The first, part of the Dallas Museum of Art’s permanent collection, was made by the Gorham Manufacturing Co., and the second was created in response to the historical piece by artist and Dallas native Chris Schanck.
The Gorham vanity, part of the Martelé line, was presented at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris and required more than 2,300 hours of labor. The piece consists of remarkably intricate silverwork and acts as a statement of extraordinary wealth.
Schanck’s response has a chaotic quality to it, composed of found objects that have gone through an “alufoil” process, a neologism created by Schanck, meaning they have been meticulously hand-wrapped in aluminum foil and sealed with resin. Twigs, planks, drapery and other unidentifiable objects are assembled to create a vanity that feels wild and otherworldly.
Aluminum has a personal meaning for Schanck, who is based in Detroit but grew up in North Texas. His summers were spent working at an aluminum plant with his father. For Christmas, his mother would wrap the family’s presents in aluminum foil. As a teenager, he commuted by train from Carrollton to downtown Dallas, where he attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which he calls “the most critical educational experience of my life.”
The idea of the dressing table, or vanity, can be traced back to ancient Egypt in the form of cedar boxes and hand mirrors that were found buried with pharaohs. The modern idea of a vanity began to take shape in the 1700s with the rise of commissions by the wealthy to create extraordinary stations where people could prepare and pamper themselves.
The objects that make up “Curbed Vanity’' are all salvaged, found in the Banglatown neighborhood in Detroit, where the artist’s studio is located. In Schanck’s work, the discarded becomes treasured. Objects at the end of their lives, literally picked from the street, are redeemed through the alufoil process and assembled to become something new.
In the Focus II gallery at the DMA, where the work is held, the colors of the walls are split between a deep blue and crimson red. The two dressing tables sit upon white platforms in an infinite staring contest.
As viewers maneuver through the room, they’re able to marvel at the craftsmanship embodied by both works and to eavesdrop on the conversation being had between them. Then they can step into the reflection and be caught by the mirrors. Viewers are presented with their image inside both works, left to confront something they’ve perhaps never seen before.
Details
“Curbed Vanity: A Contemporary Foil by Chris Schanck” continues through Aug. 29 at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St., Dallas. Open Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. Free timed ticket required. 214-922-1200. dma.org/visit.
CORRECTED at 9:50 a.m. Feb. 11: An earlier version had an incorrect name of the older vanity’s manufacturer.
