Fixed Intervals was jointly conceived and produced by Allan McCollum and Louise Lawler, who are well known for their individual bodies of work. It consists of a series of stylized signs or symbols made of polished brass. When put on the wall, the separate components act as stand-ins for artworks that have been removed from the exhibition set-up either because they are on loan, in storage, taken to restoration, etc. Both artists are interested in how the immediate surrounding of each work influences its reception, and how the reading of an exhibition changes through the relocation of particular works. Fixed Intervals emphasizes the physical properties of gallery space and of display. It also reveals common operations that occur within an art institution and around every exhibition on a daily basis.
– Rhode Island School of Design