On the occasion of Headlands Center for the Arts’ 40th anniversary in 2022, Headlands joined 500 Capp Street for a project created by Ann Hamilton sited in both locations that highlighted the deep connection between the two spaces and their shared stories of material and discovery.

At Headlands, artists David Ireland, Mark Thompson, and a team of collaborators transformed and opened the cluster of former military buildings to artists in 1986, creating an architectural condition that amplified and extended the vocabularies Ireland developed in his ongoing living project on Capp Street. Within this framework, Hamilton responded to these conditions in her 1989-1991 renovation of Headlands’ Mess Hall, transforming the space into a comfortable and inviting gathering place where meals are shared, collaborations are inspired, and creative revelations arise. Also in 1989, Hamilton was in residence at Capp Street Project with an installation entitled Privations and Excesses.

In 2023, Hamilton returned to both sites for here • there • then • now, reaching across time and place to form an engagement, reflection, and response. Hamilton selected objects from Ireland’s practice, exploring the typology of their forms and materiality, and scanned each to create luminous images.