Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Glass Drapes by Liz Rideal 2001, 104 square metres of fritted plate glass   see image >> Since 1997 Liz Rideal has been using drapery as subject: Cloth in and as performance. The pattern reproduced on these windows uses drapery as its subject. In this way these glass curtains appear to be part of the performances that take place within the theatre. The illusion of draped cloth refers to the background fabrics originally seen in painted portraits. This convention later became a familiar sight in the photographic studio. The repetition of a strip of four photographs originally taken in a photo-booth and measuring 20 x 4 centimetres, provided the basic element for this work. A single photobooth image was cropped into a square format, and enlarged in black and white to 2 metres square. Fritting is a process whereby ground glass and pigment is melded onto the surface of the plate glass, making a permanent bond in the form of the image that has been silk-screened onto the surface. << back