Archive for February 6th, 2007

Okay, so experiencing free street art can be quite serendipitous and downright trendy, unless it’s fucking cold outside at a windchill of 16 degrees. Along with a handful of other teeth-chattering city-goers, I stood at the exterior of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) to experience Doug Aitken’s Sleepwalkers, an outdoor exhibit consisting of 8 huge moving images appearing on the architecture of the museum itself depicting the lives of 5 seperate people through 5 seperate stories. Each story, quite simple in nature, lasts only 13 minutes. Upon completion, each story then appears on a different screen, creating an ever-changing and individual experience for each viewer (pretty creative really).

The only soundtrack…the true sounds of the city: sirens and traffic and people talking and wind, etc. Ryan Donowho, Seu Jorge, Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power), Donald Sutherland and Tilda Swinton portray the 5 characters in the stories representing people from a full range of bluecollar to white collar careers. We get to witness them going about their mundane everyday lives (Think ‘The Office’ without the comedy). Each story unfolds slowly with routine activities such as waking up, putting on shoes, drinking ones beverage of choice out of one’s personal drinkware (a paper cup, a colorful mug, a recycled jelly jar), standing in front of one’s mirror. Then, we see the monotanous commute to work (be it bike, subway or fancier mode of transportation) , the mindnumbing activities faced daily at the job, endless photocopies, lonely hallways/tunnels, the characters achingly drag through the non-adventures of the day.

Oh, such comments on the sometimes sad and lonely nature of our very existence and the state of peoples lives in America at the moment. The characters live realistically on screen, having absolutely no reactions or interests until they each experience an intense moment of passion/joy/release- but this is only an adventure in their minds, while their bodies continuously stay consumed with the blah blah path of everyday activities. This adventure thankfully takes them away from an unforeseen, yet possibly lifechanging event. Could this be a wakeup call, cityfolk??!!??; warning us not to sleep through our lives in disheartened melancholy? Could this be reminding us to live with the intensity of the creativity burning within us all? Hmmm… have to think on that one.

And hey, by the way, all you crazy cats with cellphones can dial into #408-794-0886 for some interesting & helpful introductory commentary on the artwork, brief comments about the artist’s vision & useful location information. Although, if you don’t know this before you go, then no technical advances for you sucka, as this is not well advertised at the exhibit and, therefore, not understood by most passers-by and/or event visitors.

Image screens are visible from 53rd and 54th Streets, from the concrete throughway in between and from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. The exhibit lasts through February 12th and is viewable each evening from 5-10 PM. Oh, but don’t go grab a coffee or bring your own thermos of hot cocoa to try to warm up, because MOMA won’t let you use the facilities to tinkle!

Overall, a very unusual and interesting concept- very cool and artsy idea. But, hey MOMA, next time let’s do this in the spring or summer- you’ll get a much better turnout & we’ll be much less worried about getting frostbite!