My first viewing of this work was at County Hall where the wooden panelling and cornicing were perfectly reflected in the mirror of crude oil, in which you're given the impression of standing waist deep, the room strangely quiet and heady with the fumes from the oil.
The success of 20:50 to me lies in the sensory impression it creates; one that has stayed with me since I first saw the work over seven years ago. So in going to revisit it at its new home at the Duke of York's HQ I had this sensory memory held in my mind and could smell the trace of warm oil as I stepped through the front doors.
Approaching the installation from above immediately draws attention to the illusion created by the reflective oil as a false floor, as it is set in below the level of the ground in Gallery 13 on the lower ground floor. The entry to the walkway was blocked off and I was told by the attendant that visitors could not gain access. Although the illusion looks as great as ever, somewhere between seeing it on approach and being denied access, I missed the work.
Works like this one (if there are works like this) not only deserve but require experiencial immersion. Queueing up for half an hour at County Hall was more than worth the minute spent alone in an experience that has locked in my mind. So I feel it is a great shame to deny visitors the real and intended vision that 20:50 creates, excluding us from a chance to wave our hand over the black sump pool and watch for ripples in the glassy surface. Perhaps Richard Wilson doesn't mind so much, perhaps other people won't mind so much. But I will do my best to forget this visit completely, if I can help it at all.
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