Houdin’s House 1967

Tony DeLap created Houdin’s House with…well, I don’t know with what. But look closely, what do you see? A room? Mirrors? An orchid? Perhaps this piece started with the artist considering how an illusion is made; the labor, the sleight of hand, the architecture, the physics, all combine to create a space where we can experience magic. I can imagine DeLap thinking about the famous magician Houdini, contemplating his tricks, his ability to escape any constraint. Did he consider his own process of making art as a kind of magic, transforming space and perception with simple materials? I can almost hear him whispering: "It's all smoke and mirrors, darling." And isn't that what artists do? They engage in a dance of trickery, revealing and concealing, making you see the world in a new light, just like the best magicians. Houdin’s House echoes back to the long history of artists playing with illusion and perception, in a constant exchange of ideas and experiments across time.