DAILY PHOTOS on Planet Waves depict quotidian existence, whether it occurs on a city street or cornfield. Spirit's instructions for the page are to depict peaceful human reality, as if illustrating the scenes of our lives for a future record, or a fun mirror of now... more |
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Composite of three photos by Danielle Voirin. |
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Last week I spent an afternoon browsing galleries in Chelsea and Soho with my friend Adam as guide. On the list of not-to-be-missed was an installation at a gallery on Greenwich St. that I was unfamiliar with, the only description I was given was "amazing." I didn't know the artist and, not being a New Yorker, I had heard none of the hype. It was obvious Adam was purposely keeping the suspense, simply saying, "you have to see it." So I was imagining neon lights, sound, some kind of engulfing multi-sensory experience. I never would have expected this.
We entered the front reception-area; no one was around. To the left, there was a four-foot-high opening in the wall, the perfect size for a small child. I crouched down and followed Adam through it into a small neon-lit room that was missing its floor. Walking through the rubble and large stones, we passed through another low door and...well, my mouth was agape in awe. We were suddenly on the edge of a small canyon, but still in the gallery! Neon lights above, flawless white walls on all sides, and below us the floor had been ripped wide open, leaving a huge dirt pit dug into Manhattan Island, with odd bricks and remnants like pieces of bottle and wood. We were free to climb down into the hole and explore. I felt like a child, I was in love with this simple space...the juxtaposition of clean, urban gallery and raw earth.
What was it? A shrine to an enormous land mine? The site of a preserved explosion? It didn't matter, it just was and I was wishing it always could be. I was imagining the conversation between the artist and the gallery, how they reacted to his proposition and how they carried out the deconstruction. And what will happen next? It could be made into a skateboard ramp, filled with water, made into an indoor garden, or just filled up and prepared for the next artist.
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Danielle in 'You'. Photo by Adam Hall. |
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Before leaving, we picked up what would have been the press release. Instead, it was a warning, "The installation is physically dangerous and inherently involves the risk of serious injury or death. Access is granted to you entirely at your own risk." That's when I saw the name of the installation, 'You.' Me? I thought of the image of myself inside the crater which Adam took with my digital camera. Yes, that seems like a good title.
-- Text and photos by Danielle Voirin
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