Spectral Analysis

The three photographs that comprise Spectral Analysis were created from an installation that serves as the set for a one-act play of the same title, first presented at Houston's Contemporary Arts Museum in 1977. The set features a brown sofa, a starburst chandelier and side-table with a portable television, along with a long beige curtain onto which a sequential rainbow of color bars are projected. The colors that appear on the curtain recall TV test patterns that are broadcast when the transmission is active but no program is being shown. The short play follows an exchange between a man and woman. The three photographs take as their subject aspects of the installation and performance to create a stripped-down, fragmentary narrative. The first image in the triptych is a starburst lighting fixture. The second image is of a hand, with a large ring on the pinky finger. The third image in the triptych is of curtains lit with a spectrum of red, orange, yellow, and purple lights.