Weird Art, Part 2--Kraftwerks

The first exhibit I went to at PS1 MoMA Museum -- just a few blocks from our Long Island City apartment -- was a multi-media installation by the German band Kraftwerks.

Apparently tens of thousands of fans tried to get tickets to see Kraftwerks perform at this museum just last month! According to a reviewer at frieze.com, they are "electonic music's equivalent of The Beatles." The problem was that the tent holds only 450 people.

It was housed inside a large white air-tent about the size of a high school gymnasium inside the museum's courtyard. As I approached the tent, I gave the museum guard an inquisitive look and he nodded his head in a manner that said, "Come. I am your gateway." This set the mysterious tone for the exhibit. Once I was in, I was surrounded by complete darkness.

Then, huge images were projected onto the walls and this strange, computer-like music burst through a multitude of speakers encircling the room -- deep bass rhythm pounding away in an ominous minor melody. The light from the projected images allowed me to see that others were watching this spectacle while lying on their backs on top of an enormous cushion in the middle of the room.

The first song I heard was so scary I almost got up to leave. It sounded a robot repeating a warning that radiation was imminent, and all were going to die a slow, painful death very soon. The subsequent songs were a little better, but I'd had enough after 15 minutes. On to the next exhibit. (Continued in next entry.)

To watch some YouTube videos of this 8-day concert series, click here.

Weird Art

 

(Photo by info.usa)

I started out yesterday just walking around Long Island City to get a feel for the place. On my way back I decided to duck into the PS1 MoMA Museum which is only a few blocks from my apartment. Before this museum became an extension of the MoMA (Modern Museum of Art), it was an independent display space for for large installations. And before that, a school.

I'm going to talk a bit about the installations I saw during my visit in these next few entries. I'll start with the topic of modern art itself.

When was the last time you went to a contemporary art museum? It's not high on your list, I'll bet. I think of modern art as something that takes you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes that is a pleasant thing, and sometimes it is very unpleasant. But either way, it changes how you see things, if only for a few minutes, an hour or perhaps the rest of your life.

Recently I overheard someone remarking how strange it is that people viewing modern art tend to read the explanation of the exhibit before experiencing the art. That is, they want to understand it before they look at it. Or perhaps the art is so weird they wonder why it was created in the first place.

(Continued next entry.)