Drawing for ‘Project for Guggenheim Spiral’ 1980

Curator: Tim Head's "Drawing for 'Project for Guggenheim Spiral'" presents us with an unrealized vision, a dance of lines on a 760 x 1020 mm support. Editor: It evokes a sense of yearning, like a labyrinthine staircase leading to nowhere. The repetition of curved lines creates a hypnotic rhythm. Curator: The Guggenheim, as a structure, carries its own loaded history, representing architectural ambition and, for some, the commodification of art itself. Head's unrealized project challenges that. Editor: The spiral form often symbolizes spiritual journeys and cycles of life. Perhaps Head was aiming to tap into these timeless motifs within a very modern context. Curator: Or maybe he’s critiquing the inaccessibility of high art institutions, their spiraling structures mirroring social hierarchies. Editor: It’s a fascinating possibility. The drawing itself is stark, almost clinical, stripped of color, forcing us to focus on the underlying form and, as you suggest, its implications. Curator: Precisely. The absence of completion speaks volumes. Editor: Indeed. It’s a reminder that even unrealized visions can carry significant weight.