I dreamt your house was a line 2003

Pedro Cabrita Reis created this light installation, 'I dreamt your house was a line', using fluorescent tubes and electrical wiring, transforming the gallery space into a kind of architectural drawing. Reis, a Portuguese artist, is known for his manipulation of space and form, often engaging with ideas of urban decay and the built environment. Note how the glowing lines of light intersect with the rigid geometry of the gallery, creating an interplay between the temporary and the permanent. The electric lights are installed at the lower level of the orange wall. The light, in its linear form, calls attention to the architecture of the space, but also evokes a sense of transience; the bright lights on the walls contrast with the weight-bearing columns. To understand Reis’s work fully, we might research the urban environment of Lisbon, Portugal and the traditions of Land Art from the 1960s. We can see that art has a crucial role to play in critiquing our relationship to the places we inhabit.