Some spaces are sacred. This project by Gabriel Dawe was the first major intervention into the Carter’s historic Atrium and paved the way for a total reconsideration of the space, and, more importantly, the role of contemporary art in the museum’s exhibitions and collections program.

Conceived of as a temporary site-specific work, Plexus no. 34 is now part of the Carter’s permanent collection, after a revision to the museum’s collecting policy.

Dawe’s work consists of more than 80 miles of thread. The work is part of an ongoing series of installations by Dawe called Plexus—the word for a network of nerves or blood vessels running through the body. Dawe explains that his Plexus works are part of his quest “to materialize light, to give it density, so that I can offer the viewer an approximation of things otherwise inaccessible to us—a glimmer of hope that brings us closer to the transcendent.”

Dawe was born in Mexico City, and his engagement with textiles stems in part from his childhood frustration at not being allowed to learn traditional needlework because of societal expectations for boys. By working with sewing thread, he aims to question and subvert constructions of gender and masculinity.