Project X examines the work of Atlanta architect John Portman, whose prolific output since the 1960’s shaped the face of the city. Titled after Portman’s unrealized 1969 utopian residential building, Project X confronts the architecture, theory and legacy of Portman’s designs and career.

In an installation across gallery 2 a series of large oil and aquarelle paintings are displayed across aluminum scaffolding to create an immersive painting environment reminiscent of Portman’s iconic structures in downtown Atlanta. Utilizing care and control in her painting technique, McMillan borrows from Portman’s visual tricks such as forced perspective, blur, vertigo, and mirrored reflection to emulate the dimension of his buildings in downtown Atlanta. McMillan calls into question Portman’s preoccupation with hyperspace and the suppression of depth. Hanging banners and feminine iconography stabilize and support the airy, light-filled surfaces.

Additionally, an installation in collaboration with Architect H. Max Golden places well-worn and rudimentarily repaired table and chairs around the painting structure in the center of the gallery. Generously loaned by the John Portman Archives the placement of the furniture creates a private, domestic environment while simultaneously referencing symbolic tension of a family dining table. McMillan constructs both a controlled public environment and a private space for reflection.