Initiated in 2007, this endeavor was set in motion when David Moos, Curator of Contemporary Art at the AGO, extended an invitation to Häussler to join a distinguished assembly of artists—including Shary Boyle, Willie Cole, Kent Monkman, Frank Stella, and Kara Walker—commissioned to craft new creations for the museum’s reopening in November 2008, following its expansion designed by Frank Gehry. Moos, much like the rest of Toronto’s art community, had been profoundly moved by “The Legacy of Joseph Wagenbach” and its ability to, as he perceived it, “enlarge the experience and definition of art.”
The inception of the “He Named Her Amber” concept arose from Häussler’s imaginative ingenuity, envisioning a guided tour chronicling the life of a disturbed scullery maid. This inventive spin was a deliberate counterpoint to the conventional “upstairs-downstairs” tours that had long been presented at The Grange. The conventional tours romanticized the lives of the well-to-do Boulton family, while relegating the servants—cheerful women in period attire who worked in the basement—to a mere folkloric backdrop. A shift in perspective was overdue.
Over the course of a year, Häussler meticulously developed a script, a backstory, tangible artifacts, and an elaborate mise en scène akin to what one would expect for a major film or theatrical production. As a conceptual artist who places faith in the transformative capacity of “direct experience,” she contended that the installation’s impact would be heightened if it wasn’t explicitly labeled as art. In the disclosure letter handed to departing visitors, she articulated, “There’s a vast distinction between contemplating emotions and genuinely encountering them.”
The objective was never merely to deceive the audience, but rather to craft a multifaceted encounter that culminated in reshaping the tour as an artistic creation. Moos remarked, “It is a substantial work. It requests 40 minutes of your time, engaging you in a participatory manner with a guide. However, it rewards you with an incredibly imaginative experience, resonating through time with the viewer.” Matthew Teitelbaum, AGO’s director, lauded Häussler for resuscitating The Grange’s essence. He expressed appreciation for the notion that within a relatively unchanging space, a profoundly stirring experience could unfold, not in a superficial showbiz or entertainment sense, but by genuinely unlocking emotions.
Through rendering Mary/Amber as a “real” character, Häussler aimed to amplify empathy for an individual who symbolizes all those marginalized immigrants who sacrifice themselves for their families—a phenomenon as prevalent today as it was in the 19th century. By preserving Amber’s air of mystery, she prompted visitors to fill in the narrative gaps and partake in the process of historical reconstruction. “It’s about nurturing imagination,” she reflected. “You momentarily relinquish intellectual control and let yourself be carried away.”