Dreamland at MoMA

Hidden among the heart of New York City is the center of art diversity, from dancing to music to paintings and museums. One of the many prominent museums is the Museum of Modern Art. The MoMA was recently renovated in an attempt to enhance its vibrant collection of contemporary art. Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi worked with many curators to efficaciously display art in both spacious and confined galleries. When I first entered the museum, I felt slightly smaller being in such a roomy gallery. As I moved up the levels, more and more paintings lined the walls, each more intense than the last. With six extravagant floors, the MoMA houses many permanent and temporary exhibitions. At this moment, Van Gogh and Ernst Kirchner have taken over the attention of museum visitors. However, I personally am more interested in Dreamland, a set of architectural experiments dating back to the 1970s. Slightly concealed by walls and walls of photographs, this collection is mind boggling and really raises questions about the artists’ intentions.

The exhibit was located in a small room on the third floor. It was filled with models of buildings in the center and blueprints on the sides. Many artists have contributed to this gallery. One of them was Lebbeus Woods. He created a drawing called the “Terrain” which made me feel as if I was trapped in a deep hole. In the drawing, the walls were expanding in all directions, with the bottom pitch black. Another drawing that caught my eye was “The City of the Captive Globe” by Koolhaas and Vriesendorp. This was a drawing of a huge globe enclosing Manhattan. The city is often used as an inspiration to architectural models, but architects have a desire to leave the confinement of the city. I also read on the pamphlets that architects often feel trapped with the boundaries of reality and the infinite possibilities of creativity. Through drawings and models, they subtly reveal their inner desire and feelings of captivity.

The models in the center of the room were also very interesting. One was called “Cloud 9” by Studio, Ohtake, and Ruiz-Geli. This structure represented a hotel made with fluorescent lights and plastic. It was very white, shiny, and round. Having never seen anything like it, I think it would be an amazing piece of work. Clouds usually represent serenity; I wonder if this is another attempt to express their inner emotions. Another hotel that was depicted in a drawing by Elia and Zoe Zenghelis was my favorite piece at the MoMA. Looking at it from the bottom, it would seem like any ordinary skyscraper. However, at the very top, there were incomplete circular figures that seem to be floating in the air. Under them were several other circular levels housing strange things that look unrealistic. The two artists successfully derived something primeval, but may be difficult to turn into reality.

Architecture has always been one of my favorite forms of art. Seeing the many creative models and potential ideas in the MoMA made me look past the surface of the building to their interior and hidden meanings. It was also very interesting reading about architects’ feelings about confinement; I have never thought about it that way. The MoMA’s small Dreamland reminded me of a miniature city, filled with various opinions and suppressed desires. It houses the dreams of many architects that are made real.