As we are beginning to think about possible Great Artists projects, I’ve been starting to explore immersive and interactive, often “croudsourced” art—printing out receipts on demand, letting people browse through them, asking people to typewrite things, giving people TV remotes to play with, etc.
Well, on All Things Considered this afternoon, I heard about an innovative piece of artwork in MOCA’s current exhibition, Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color, and Space.
“At the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, museum goers can dive into the art — literally. They can actually swim in it. The pool is tucked into a dark, back corner of the museum. It’s 3 feet deep, the size of a mini-lap pool, and it’s ringed with small blue lights. An eerie soundtrack plays as large images — featuring lines of cocaine — are projected on either side of the pool.
The piece is called CC4 Nocagions, and it was conceived in 1973 by Brazilian artists Helio Oiticica and Neville D’Almeida.”
“‘We get so removed by living virtual lives,’ Ruiz says. ‘I think it is more relevant today to think about the physicality of the exhibition: the fact that you have to experience the work with your eyes, with your ears, with your body, your skin.’”
“‘It makes you feel a little bit weird and embarrassed,’ said exhibit participant Jonathan Lewis, ‘to be in front of museum goers … in a bathing suit, in a pool.’
But maybe that awkwardness was the point, Lewis says: ‘It’s weird, the moment you realize you’re part of the exhibit. I mean, I was swimming for about five minutes, and suddenly I realize that all these people are standing around staring at me in the exhibit. That’s what makes it so incredibly immersive, to actually participate in this exhibit. It’s awesome.’”
Is anyone interested in taking a day-trip up to LA pay MOCA a visit?
(via Art In A Pool: L.A. Museum Goers Take The Plunge : NPR)
