Pass the Mica

Mica is the name given to a flaky group of silicate minerals that cleaves into thin, transparent layers and registers at about a three on the Mohs Scale of mineral hardness. It's also a featured player in Rebecca DiDomenico's site-specific installation Mica Chamber, on display at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. DiDomenico placed 14,122 photographic images on the wall, overlaid the collage with mica and embedded 47,976 brass nails to hold the thing together.

"It's really stunning," reveals museum associate curator Kirsten Gerdes. "She's divided the space into a couple of different areas. Half is the Mica Chamber, and half is all the mica shavings that she's put together into this huge mobius kind of piece in the center of the room."

Rock on over to BMoCA, 1750 13th Street in Boulder, today through July 29; the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is $4 for adults, $3 for students and seniors. Call 303-443-2122 or visit www.bmoca.org for information.
June 1-Sept. 1