Study of Distortions; Map Projections. The Doughnut (Tangent Torus)

Denes is known for large-scale Earthworks, most famously planting a wheatfield on the site of a landfill in lower Manhattan in 1982. Study of Distortions transforms Earth in another way: by mathematically bending its dimensions into shapes, such as this torus or "doughnut." The grid system Denes uses here is printed on plastic, set on top of the continental forms. When the grid is removed, Earth’s misshapen continents lose their legibility as components of the globe.

While much of Denes’ work is grounded in science, this project is more speculative, acknowledging the limits of reason in understanding the universe. It combines, in her words, "illusion and reality, imagination and fact," as well as exploring, "change in orbital rotation, chemical structure, physical operations, gravitational pull, time dilations, tidal waves, compression and expansion of matter, and of course, whatever the necessary effects are on us, inhabitants."