Yeah, Christo and Jean-Claude need to move on after 40 years of doing the same thing. might have been a big deal when the wrapped up the center of Berlin back in the 60's (I think that's when it was) but their no, and much touted The Gates installation is a bunch of hot air. When it was axed in proposal 20 years ago it should have stayed in the garbage can. What the hell is this thoughtless drivel? And why does everyone love it so muhc. The east side was swarming with people two days ago when we went down there to one of the museums to see an exhibition. (The exhibition was excellent though). WQe decided to walk through the park and this project has become so automated and formulaic that it just felt like something no one would admit wasn't all that spectacular because it was just so *hip* and *cool.* I guess no one can really complain about 7200 saffron sheets linging the walkways of the park, but hey, it was like completely empty fluffy cotton candy to me. And above that, I expected the installation to be less consistent, so that at least it would obstruct and change ones view of the park. Everything was so pre-fab and carefully apced that the hight of the sheets didn't even force a change in gaze either in the near by or even towards the horizon. There is no self criticism in the installation process either. I would have understood if it had left massive holes in the ground once removed to address issues of memory and altered landscapes. I could have understood if the only thing at had going for it was self-deprecatory humor. But its just compleltely unintelligent or even visual inspiring. Booooo, I think they should have given me all that funding and I would have put it to better use somehow.

?

I heard so much buzz about it, and I wanted to check it out yesterday, seeing as I was in New York, but after looking at picutres of it on the web, I vehemently decided against it. I'm not usually vocal about art, seeing as I know nothing about it, but this was one of the more worthless pieces I've ever seen.

The irony of it all, is that I went to see "The Aviator" instead. What a waste of 3 hours.

BTW, Galia, I'm sure you know that there's going to be a Dali exhibition in Philly. If you want to check it out, give me a buzz, I'd like to go too.

Dali? As in Salvador Dali?

Damn you big city folk. I'd kill to see that.

It's quite funny you chose to see The Aviator instead, too, Krem. Tell me, did you notice the scroll running along the bottom of the screen:

PLEASE NOMINATE THIS FILM FOR OSCARS

Yeah, Salvador Dali.

The details are here: http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/ ... rview.html
Come out to Philly within the next 3 months why don't ya?

I didn't notice the scroll, but I might've missed, considering that for the last 45 minutes I was just looking around and not at the screen.

empty seats more interesting eh?

God yes

I'll come to Philly on one occassion:

You're waiting for me in the airport terminal, doing the Philly Bird as I walk off the plane.

The Central Park Gates are crap, but their Reichstag one is an image for the ages:

makeshift - only if you wear a Maggie Thatcher shirt.

Dima, wise choice not to go near that installation. What a waste. All of Central Park and the whole world watching and that's really what you want to say to them all? Some pre-fab, automated erectoing, kitschy thing for the kiddies to run around in? Gah......*head explodes*

I was going up there to the Nueu Museum to see an small exhibition on the German Comic Grotesque which I loved because I've always been into those dark half man half beast sort of figures. Anywho, it was only about three rooms, so an hour to look at, and I'm happy I went but getting there forced me a massive eye pain. Oh god just thinking about all that saffron is giving me a headache. i need an advil. You know Christo died her hair the same color as the gates for the unveiling saturday morning. Yeah, real profound, Kate Winslet died her hair that color for Eternal Sunshine and no one pretended it was anything other than hair color then, and poor Kate isn't going to get nearly as much attention for saffron hair color as Christo. Gee that installation makes me a bit bitter about being a failed artist. I recognized I wasn't much good, but seirously, apparently that doesn't matter anyways.

It was a big deal to wrap a building when they did it once. About changing expectations of architectural space, and reforming objects that we only envisioned approaching in one way. But once you've done the same freaking project over and over again for 40 years it gets a little, shall we say, less original.

Thanks for the head's up on Dali, I will let you know if I run down to Philly to check it out. I might. I've seen so much of his work that I want to check out some reviews and see if it was smartly curated, but if it is I'll give you a holler. I still lose sleep over not getting to the BMFA for the one American visit of the Guaguin retrospective. *Cries* I'll never see something like that again. Come to think about it, *sigh* I never saw it the first time around. I'll be more aggressive this time about well done exhibits, so I'll let you know.

Makeshift, there are some pretty big museums in major cities in Oregon, how far are you away from them? If I hear anything from over there I'll let you know.

The wrapping of the Reichstag was done in 1995, btw, ten years ago.

yeah, but that was the first one. The problem with it is that it really was conceptual then, now its just become eye candy. They've gone on to wrap a building in every city by now, and when they couldn't do that anymore, they had to take it even one step down and not even bother disrupting the space. Wrapping the Reichstag changes how you interact with the building and the space, but the cloth they hung in central Park was too high, so it didn't even make people have to alter their walks, gaze, or sense of space. Everyone just frolicked around like you do at amusement parks. bleh.

My bad Boxie, you're right. I checked a timeline. They have been doing this since 1961, when they did the Dockside Packages in Cologne.



They wrapped a fountain and tower in Spoleto, Italy back in 1968.




And the entire MOCA in Chicago shortly after:



Here's Little Bay, Australia, in 1969 as well:



Its getting redundant is all, regardless of if they change the material and what they're covering. They need a bit of an inclusion of new ideas into their philosophy.

Christo paid for it completely. No public money or foundation money was used. He does this all the time -- he sells his artwork which allows him to finance these things.

Personally, I like it. Art you can walk through is cool. :wink:

When and where? My wife is a huge Dali fan, I know she will be mad at me if I don't take her...

Mike, I posted the details in an earlier post. It's going to be at the Arts Museum in Philadelphia from February to May.

I like Dali.

Although, there's no way I'll catch this exhibit.

Even though I live 180-ish miles away.

Torrino - it's one of a kind thing - is there no way your parents will let you take the train to Philly?

By myself? You crazy?

None of my friends except for one (but she's a little...odd) are interested in this stuff. I might be going to take classes at Penn (Microeconomics, remember?) over the summer, but, obviously, it ends before then...

Plus, it's not like I'm looking at Drexel during Spring Break :razz:

They had a 60 Minutes special on it last night. I thought it looked kinda neat. But yes, a little silly.

Anyone see their Umbrella work?

=D> =D>

I keep hoping the art world will wake up one day and tell the public that art for the past 50 years has been one big practical joke, and they are going back to portraits and landscapes.

Even if you tell them we'll greet you at the station? And you'll call when you get in. We're a mature bunch, we could make a field trip out of it? Philly Museum/Movie everything else day! \:D/

I'm warning y'all I take for freaking ever in museums. I mean forever.



Oh, not all of it. I posted a thread about an excellent exhibition going on at the DeCordova museum in eastern MA a few weeks ago. I also saw some excellent stuff go through the ICA when I was there a few years ago. Its not my forte, I tend to dig further back and just aim for contemporary curation, but I know that's a personal preference. Also, recent works haven't survived the filtering process, trust me, if you're ever had to look at some of the adademy art in even the late 1800's, it was an eye-pain and lacking in any strong conceptual experiences as well.