Week 146 4/16/18
I've been wanting to go to
Mass MOCA for years. Paul rented a cool B&B nearby and we set out. we checked into a room in this Victorian house. It was cold and rainy during our stay but we had a space heater in our room. Since we arrived early, we went to see a movie - A Wrinkle in Time which we both thought was OK but not great. The theater had no heat at all so they charged us children's price and gave us complimentary tickets for next time. We had a very good Italian meal for dinner.
Arriving at the museum in the morning, we wanted to see as much as possible, though they say this is the largest contemporary art museum in the world. Of course some pieces are quite large in themselves. The old restored factory buildings were fascinating with stairways, doors and alcoves here and there. It was easy to get lost.
We enjoyed four exhibits for which we had to make reservations. The spaces couldn't hold many people. Two were by James Turrell. One had us in a large space with very flat colored light and no shadows. Ceiling, walls and floor were blurred. A laser beam would warn anyone venturing too close to the 12-foot sheer drop at the end of the room. The color shifted.
Two exhibits were virtual reality by Laurie Anderson. Both were fascinating and lots of fun. Chalkroom let us fly through an imaginary space and explore sound and visual tricks. Aloft took us on a journey in an airplane that came apart mid-flight. We could grab and hold objects and hear the story of the person who owned that thing.
This exhibit by Gunnar Schonbeck included may types of hand made musical instruments which we could play.
The exhibition by Dawn Dedaux and Lonney Holley was made of found objects. Dedaux' as if our contemporary objects were found in an archaeological site. Holley's were themed around social justice.
Three pyramids made of pallets enclosed experiences with sound, touch and smell. This one has geometric clay shapes with holes in them. The smells within were not unpleasant. The worst was smoky.
