Round and Round Spins the Room

McCarthy's "Spinning Room," taken from NY Times

Perception is a unique, ambiguous force. Providing for our conceptualization of the world in which we live, it defines who we are and provides a foundation upon which we base our decisions. When challenges to our perception arise, whether they exist in the form of artwork or verbal confrontation, we must either champion our preexisting notions or choose to open ourselves up to new ways of thinking. Central Symmetrical Rotation Movement, an exhibition at the Whitney Museum featuring some of artist Paul McCarthy’s most compelling works, masterfully juxtaposes motion and depth as a means by which to distort and challenge our perception.

Stepping off of the elevator onto the museum’s third floor, one is immediately taken aback by the startling boundless nature of the room. As part of the exhibition, an immense wall of glass has been constructed to bisect the entire floor–McCarthy’s first attempt at provoking physical disorientation. The wall’s presence prefaces the recurrent theme of perceptual engagement consistent in McCarthy’s art and effectively sets the overall tone of the exhibition.  

“Mad House,” McCarthy’s paradoxically elaborate yet simplistic creation, is one of the exhibit’s most exquisite pieces. Conceived in 1999 and realized for the first time at the Whitney, its fundamental structure consists of a large wooden box and a chair, both of which are hooked up to motors and are set to rotate with increasing rapidity in opposite directions. The chair, which sits inside the box in bitter solitude, is a beautiful representation of one’s innermost repressed emotions and the apparent inability to disconnect body from mind, perception from “reality.” The unique piece, which was originally designed to be a ride, simulates the debilitating disorientation one often associates with mindless spinning. The box’s shape and structure provide the illusion of a house, but its function very much indicates otherwise—McCarthy very clearly accomplishes his goal of challenging how we perceive even the most ubiquitous elements of the world around us.       

McCarthy again toys with the relationship between perception and spinning in “Spinning Camera, Walking, Mike Cram Walking,” a three-minute black and white film. Its premise is quite simple: A man proceeds to spin mindlessly around in circles, clashing with the walls that serve to confine him. The film accomplishes the difficult task of showcasing the metaphorical act of liberating one’s mind. The walls symbolize the barriers of perception that McCarthy seeks to obliterate.

Interestingly, parallels may be drawn between “Spinning Camera” and the aforementioned “Mad House” piece. The rotational motion is significant in that it involves a lack of progression—basically, the actor is unable to free himself from the chains of his perception; he hopelessly conforms to his preconceived notions. The “house” featured in “Mad House” symbolizes one’s linear approach to perception and the general reluctance to accept alternative ways of thinking that accompanies it.

“Spinning Room” is the exhibition’s most thought provoking and generally appealing pieces. Four video cameras are set up to capture clips of visitors to the exhibition, enclosed within the space of four projection screens that act as walls. This piece serves to illustrate the complex, irrational nature of the human mind, as well serve to disorient anyone who dares to step inside the screens. McCarthy seeks to distort perception and challenge sensation—the image projected onto the screens is consequently not presented in a linear format. The artist chooses to invert the image and cast the image’s negative upon the screen with the intended goal of challenging how one perceives the image. One would interpret the inverted aspect of the recording’s playback as analogous to the way the human eye absorbs sensory information. He very carefully presents to us raw sensory data, dancing along the fine line between how the body takes in information and how it is eventually processed. In doing so, McCarthy further imposes upon his viewers the underlying theme of the exhibition—perception exists to be challenged.

In his illustrious career, Mr. McCarthy has gained wide notoriety for his unabashed willingness to challenge society’s preconceived notions of what “art” truly is. Whether it’s with his collection of inflatable feces flying high above Switzerland or his infamous “Santa with Butt Plug” that basked in the gaze of onlookers, McCarthy has established himself in the world of contemporary art as a juggernaut and a visionary. His latest exhibition, Central Symmetrical Rotation Movement, is a largely successful venture that seeks to challenge perception with various manipulations of motion and depth.