Norfolk Keels

Norfolk Keels is not a traditional museum object like a painting or sculpture. It is a site-specific installation, a work of art designed by an artist in response to a unique space. When installed it becomes a part of that space, changing it and at the same time helping us understand a familiar spot in new and exciting ways. Sam Gilliam designed Norfolk Keels especially for Huber Court. Working with his assistants, he hung and draped and adjusted these great swaths of brilliantly colored fabric until he had brought them into a kind of dynamic equilibrium, until the lengths of fabric hung in harmony with themselves and with the surrounding architecture. Gilliam thought of his works as a visual parallel to jazz music. Much as a jazz musician steps beyond the written notes on his page so Gilliam created works that are "Structured Improvisations," a careful balance of freedom and structure, chaos and control.