Leandro Erlich Commissioned by the Barbican, London

The Barbican is Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film, and creative learning events. It is also home to the London Symphony Orchestra

Erlich was invited to install a version of his wildly popular optical illusion that creates the visual effect of instant weightlessness.

The installation presents the detailed facade of a Victorian terraced house, designed to resemble the houses that previously stood on the block. The facade lies horizontally on the ground with mirrors positioned overhead. Using a wall of giant mirrors propped against a huge horizontal print of this type of house, visitors are free to move around as their reflections appear to move freely on the surface of the building giving the impression that the viewers who walk or lay are effortlessly defying the laws of gravity.

Erlich’s installation has been accompanied by talks, workshops and live performances, exploring themes related to the project, including architectural history, urbanism, and perception. On June 27 Erlich talked about the Dalston House and other installations in relation to his oeuvre and his interest in the phenomenon of the uncanny and the transgression of traditional architectural boundaries.

The piece was erected in Hackney just off Dalston Junction on a disused lot that has remained vacant since it was bombed during the Second World War.