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Concannon.FieldNotes.4
- 1. NEW MUSEUM FIELD NOTES IV Ethnographer: Brittany Concannon Date: Friday, November 25th 2016 Time: 12:25 P.M. – 2:55 P.M. (2.5 hours)
- 2. 12:25P.M. IarriveattheNewMuseumintimeforthe 12:30P.M.tour. Ijoin sevenotherpeople— threeofwhicharewomenandfourofwhich appeartobepartofacoupleas eachpairis holdinghands. Thetourguideiswearinga NewMuseumbadgearoundherneckandis smilingbythe“DOCENTTOURS”sign. She asksif“everyoneisokwithtakingthestairs” towhichallmembersofthetoureithernod theirheadsaffirmativelyordonotrespond. Sheinformsusthatwewillstartthetourina fewmomentstocheckthatnooneelse wishestoparticipateinthetour. Inotice anothersignnearbywhichfeaturesahand- writtennotefromtheartistofthePixelForest aswellas“themachinedispensingsoap bubbles”thatshedescribesinherwriting. Therearenobubblesatthistime,justasteel machinewithacordinitscenter. Iamcurious whytheartisthasdecidedtoplaceherpiece infrontofthegiftshopandnexttothetour sign. Also,Iwonderwhyshehasselectedthis piecewhichdoesnotseemtodirectly connecttoherPixelForest(althoughthere maybeaconnectionthatIamoverlooking).
- 3. 12:36P.M. Thetourguideintroducesherselfas Summerandexplainsthat“thisisavery specialmuseum,specificallydevotedto contemporaryart...noclassicart...only aliveartistsfromallovertheworld.” She statesthat“themuseumwasfoundedin 1997andthatitsbuildingwasdesignedin 1999.” Shealsoaddsthat“initiallywewould renewourcollectionevery10years,butnow werenewevery3months[since]thereisno permanentcollection.” Shedirectsustothe largepaneloutsideoftheDiaryofaMadman exhibitiontohighlightthattheartistisfrom ChinaandwasinvitedbytheNewMuseum tocreatevideoclipsforitscollection. The artistsfilmedinfamouspartsofNewYork, “likeTimesSquareandtheBrooklynBridge,” andhiredactorstospeaklanguageswith whichtheywereunfamiliar,sothatthey could“experiencethefeelingofbeingan outsider,”whichhewishedtoconveyinhis work. Iammostfascinatedbyhisdecisionto namehisartworkafterChina’sfirstmodern novelwhosemaincharacterwasconsidered madbecause“hesawrealityforwhatitwas.”
- 4. 12:41P.M. Summertheninvitesustoexplorethe exhibitionandto“askquestions”ifwehave any. Shethenspeakswithacouplefromour tourgroupwhosharesthattheyarevisiting fromChina. Itisinterestingthatoftheeight peopleonthetouronlytwoofus(including myself)havevisitedtheNewMuseum before. Iwonderifthisfactistypicaloftour groups attheNewMuseum,orifthisgroupis ananomaly. Iagainnoticeinthisroomthat theconversationnoiselevelisverylow, perhapsasaresultofthemanyvideoclips thatareplayingatmediumvolume. Iam drawntotheonlytelevisionthatisnotaflat screenwhiletheothercoupleinthetour groupputsontheheadphonesfortheflat screenonthebackwall. Afterfiveminutesof self-directedexploration,Summerholdsher armuptosignalthat“wearemovingtothe nextexhibit.” Idonotoverhearanyoneinthe tourgroupdiscusswhattheyhaveseen, besidestheelderlymanwhoisspeakingwith Summer,aswewalkupthestairs tothe secondfloor.
- 5. 12:47P.M. Aswemovetothesecondfloor,Inotice howconciseanduser-friendlythestairssign is(Ilatertakeapictureofthissignwhenwe walktothefourthfloor). Uponexitingthe stairwell,SummerdescribesthePixelForest as“Pipilotti’sfirstlarge-scaleexhibitioninthe UnitedStates.” Summerthenpointstothe screennexttothestairs,whichisshowingThe PickleFarm—ashortfilmcreatedbytheartist inreactiontopeople’sattemptsto“takeporn away,”sincePipilottibelieves“otherpeople shouldn’tdecidewhatshecansee.” The themesofherworkthusoftenrelateto “femalesexuality,technology,sensuality,and howweconsumetheenvironment.” Summerthenwalksustothelargescreento whichthelongsheetsleadandthatfeatures an“earlywork[that]expressestheartist’s frustrationwithwhatwomenshouldbe.” A tourgroupmemberthenasksaboutthelong sheetstowhichSummerrepliesthatPipilotti is“directingustobecomepartofthework... wecommunicatethroughscreensandhere wearegoingintothescreen,breakingthe screen.” Again,Summerinvitesustoexplore thispartoftheexhibitiononourown.
- 6. 12:57P.M. Summergathersusbythestairwell, stressingthat“thetourisshortand[we] shouldcomebackafter.” Wethenmoveto thethirdfloorwhosestairwelldoorhasasign writteninprintandBraille. Iamintriguedby thesoftcommand, “Pleasedonottouchthe worksofart,”sincethedanglingofplastic sphereswithinthisgallerymakesitalmost impossibletoavoidphysicalcontactwith Pipilotti'sart. Directlyoutsidethedoorisa videoclipthatisprojectedontothefloor, throughwhichweareforcedtowalk. This videoshows“acameragoinginto[Pipilotti] fromhermouthoutthroughheranus.” AccordingtoSummer,Pipilottiwishedto “openherselftotheviewers”byallowingan imagetoconsumeher. Likeduringtherestof thetour,weareencouragedto“feelfreeto enjoyandtakepictures.” Ispottwochildren holdingontotheplasticspheresastheir assumedparentstakephotographs. The securityguardsdonotinterferewithatleast fourviolationsoftheabovementionedrule. I amcuriousifPipilottiintendedtofloutthe traditionalstandardofpreventingvisitors fromphysicallyinteractingwiththeart.
- 7. 1:05P.M. Beforewedepartfromthethirdfloorof thePixelForest,Summerclarifiesthatthe chandelierofundergarmentsrepresents“the womb[throughwhich]weallcamealive.” I askheriftheartisthadanyinputinselecting theorderandarrangementoftheexhibitto whichSummerresponds,“Yes,ofcourse, thereweretwoyearsofplanning.” Wethen traveltothefinalfloorofthePixelForest—the onlypartoftheexhibitionthatIhavenotyet visited. Pointingtothedualscreensthatare hungfromtheceiling,Summerexplainsthat thesongthatisplayingwaswrittenbythe artist. Sheaddsthatthevideoclipswere filmedin“thedirtywaterofthelakewhere Pipilottigrewup”andinspiredbythe question,“Arewedigestingtheenvironment, oristheenvironmentdigestingus?” Inotice thatthevideoclipsincludezoomed-inshots ofnakedbodyparts—atropethatappearsin atleastthreeothervideoclipsfromthis exhibition. Iwonderhowmanyotherpeople havenoticedthispatternandhowmuch morecollaborativelearningcouldoccurif therewassomewaytodiscusstheseideas duringone’svisittothemuseum?
- 8. 1:17P.M. Beforeconcludingthetour,Summer thanksusforparticipatingandencouragesus “togoback totheotherexhibitsand explore.” Idecidetoremainwithinthis galleryandtakeaphotographofthe assortmentofbedsthatarearrangedunder thehangingscreens. Iamstruckbythe contrastbetweenthecuddling,barefeetof thecoupleinthebottomcornerandthe suspended,lacedsneakersofthewomanin thecenter. Iwonderhowmanybedsare occupiedbypeoplewhoknoweachother andhowmanyaresharedbystrangers. Ilay downonanemptybedfortenminutes,and overhearawomanwhisper,“It’slikea swamp.” Iseeawomanrestingagainstthe wall,scanningtheroom. AssoonasIbeginto getup,sheasksifIamleaving. Nowfeeling muchmorerelaxedandrested,Iofferthebed toher. Iamcuriousastowhethervisitors investigatePipilotti’spieces forlonger periodsoftimethantheywouldforother exhibitions,duetotheprevalenceofcomfy seatingandvariousopportunitiesfor relaxation.
- 9. 1:37P.M. AsImovetowardsthestairwell,Inotice the“trustme”signthatisattachedonthe wall. AsIturnaround,Inoticethatdirectly acrossfromthissignisasimilarly-light signthatreads“helpme.” Theinclusion ofthisphrasedoesnotsurprisemesinceit issungmanytimesinthechorusofthe songthatiscurrentlyplaying. Whyand withwhatdoestheartistrequirehelp? Whyisthemuchmoreconcerningplea forhelpinamuchlessvisiblelocation thanthedifficult-to-read“trustme”sign whichisdiagonallyfromtheexitbythe stairs? Interestingly,thepanelthatis displayedoneachfloorofthisexhibition andthatintroducesPipilotti’spiecesis situatedbetweenthesetwosigns. There is,however,verylittlelighttoreadthis panel,especiallysinceitisbehindablack curtain. InthefiveminutesthatIobserve thisspace,onlytwoofthesevenpeople thatwalkpast thepanelstoptoreadit— anactivitywhichlastsforlessthanten seconds.
- 10. 1:45P.M. I movetothelastpartoftheexhibition thatIhaveyettoview—acratemarked fragilewithacat-likeanimalcarryinga smallercat-likeanimalinitsmouth. Inside thecrateiswhatappearstobetheartist’s roomwhosefloorhasbeensplinteredby amoonorplanetthathascrashedinto oneofitswalls,exposinganabyssofstar- filledspace. Reminiscentofajewelrybox butwithamoderntechnologicaltwist,a devicespinsinthecenter,projecting colorfullight,aspianokeysplay. Italso remindsmeofadollhousebutwithmuch morerealisticprops:half-eatenpizza, tiltedtissueboxes,andunfoldedbed sheets. Whydoestheartistsubvert traditionalfeminineobjects(dollhouses andjewelryboxes)? Aswithmuchof Pipilotti'sexhibition,Iamleftwithmany questionsandhypotheses. Iwonderhow manymoreinsightscouldbemadeif therewasamethodtoshareone’s thoughtsduringone’svisittothis museum.
- 11. 1:56P.M. Itaketheelevatortothefirstfloorinorder tolistentomoreconversationsatthecafé. Unfortunately,therearenoseatsavailable,so Idecideinsteadtotakeaphotographofthe entrancedesk. Forthefirsttime,Inoticethat childrenundertheageofeighteenarefree. I wonderhowmanystudentsfromthe neighboringschoolsvisittheNewMuseum eachyear. Thisobservationalsocausesmeto questionmypreconceptionsaboutthe averagevisitorsoftheNewMuseumas romanticcouples whoareusuallytwenty- eightyearsoldand whoareseekingan interestingdate. Consideringthatthe exhibitionschangeeverythreemonths,is thereevenatypicalprofileofaNewMuseum visitor? Duringmyobservationsof this museum,Ihaveseenfamiliesandfriends, individualsanddates,elderlypeopleand teenagers,andlocalresidentsandtourists. Is suchdiversityactuallyrepresentativeof reality,orIammissingthelargerpatternsby notgatheringstatisticaldataonthe demographicsofthevisitors. Whoarethe trueparticipantsoftheNewMuseum?
- 12. 2:04P.M. Imovetothebasementfloorinorderto viewthenewfilmthathasbeeninstalledin thehallwaybetweenthetwostairsleadingto thebathroom. Asduringprevious observations,Iwonderwhyadesignerwould choosetoarrangetheshowingofthisvideo clipthatisfilledwithmetaphorsinsuchan uncomfortablespaceoftransition. Notonly doesthisareahavenoseating,butitis locatedinthedirectpaththatonemusttake inordertoreachthebathroom,whichmeans thatonehastocontinuallymoveasidewhile watchingthevideoclipsothatotherpeople canreachtheirdestination. Unlikethe previousfilmthatwasshownhere,thisvideo clipisovertwentyminuteswhichmeansthat onewouldhavetostandforasignificant periodoftimeinordertoseeitinitsentirety. I doalsowonderthough, iftherewouldbe morepeoplewhoviewthisvideoclip--evenin itsdisadvantageouslocation--iftheycould havecontrolovertheplayingofthisfilm.
- 13. 2:12P.M. Imovetotheareanexttothe bathroomwhichfeaturestwoscreenson thewallsthatareoppositeoftheelevator. Onceagain,thereisnoseating. Three peopleshowtheirticketstothesecurity guardwhostandsbyapodiumthat servesasaseparatorbetweenthepathto thebathroomandtheboundariesofthis gallery. Thevisitorswalktothefirstvideo (partofwhichisshown)andwatchitfor aboutfifteensecondsbeforetheystartto laugh. “Doyouwanttogo?”onefriend askstheothertwopeoplewhoreply affirmativelyandheadtotheelevator. I wonderifthereareeveranytoursor eventsthatdiscussthedifferent interpretationsofthesefilms. Iamalso curiousastowhyamuseumthatso successfullydevelopscomfortableareas foritsvisitorstoreflectuponitsarton otherfloorsfailstocultivatesuchan environmentwithinitsbasementfloor.
- 14. 2:25P.M. Fortheremainingthirtyminutesofmyvisit,I decidetotrytospeakwithpeoplewhoarewaiting inlineforthemuseum. Ifirstaskamiddle-aged coupleifImayposetwoquestionstothemfora NYUprojecttowhichtheyreply,“Ok,sure.” Ithen ask,“HaveyouvisitedtheNewMuseumbefore?” towhichtheybothrespond,“Yes,”aswellas“Why areyouheretoday?” Thewomaninitiallysaysthat theyarevisiting“toseethenewexhibit”andasks myopinionofit. Afterafewmoremomentsof discussion,themansays,“Doyouwanttoknow therealreasonthatwearehere? It’sourfirstdate.” Thewomanthenlaughsandsays,“Wefigured we’dhaveabuffer,”afterwhichbothofthem laugh. Ithankthemfortheirresponsesand proceedtoaskthesamequestionstoanearby elderlywomanwhosharesthather“daughter asked[her]tomeethere.” Lastly,Ispeakwithtwo femaleteenagerswhosharethattheyhavenot visitedpreviously,butareattheNewMuseum“to seewhat’sitabout.” Thesubtledifferencesintheir responsesremindsmeoftheplasticspheresof PixelForest--mistakenlysimilarintheirabundance butuniquewhenstudiedclosely. AsImoveto leave,acoupleasksmeif“it’sworthit,”while pointingtothelinetowhichIrespond,“Absolutely, yes.”