Stairs 2003

Curator: This is Rachel Whiteread’s "Stairs," currently residing in the Tate Collections; the dimensions of its support are 667 by 507 millimeters. Editor: It feels like a deconstructed dream, almost an architectural rendering dissolving into the ether. Curator: Whiteread often explores negative space and the poetics of everyday objects. Here, the interplay between the solid form of the staircase and the delicate linework creates a tension. Editor: Yes, I see that the lines appear both structural and chaotic, as though the building is simultaneously being built and falling apart. It also makes me wonder about the utility of stairs, generally: where do they lead, and what labor brought them into existence? Curator: I agree. Whiteread’s practice encourages us to consider the labor involved in the making of space. The staircase becomes a symbol of movement, progress, and the physical effort required to navigate our built environment. Editor: Absolutely. It's a haunting, beautiful reminder of our relationship to the structures we inhabit. Curator: Indeed. A potent reminder of how material and space shape our human experience.