Dia: Beacon

Waking up the Sunday morning that we went to Beacon was the earliest I had woken up on a Sunday in months. But after the sleepiness wore off some excitement started to arise as we gathered by the clock in Grand Central Station.

After the 90 minute train ride we had finally arrived. Then we started to look at some of the exhibits once we entered the gallery. The first one that we saw was the dots/squares on the floor in the middle of the room. It kinda set the tone for many of the other pieces. It seemed like many of the pieces shared a common theme of math. Something they also shared was their openness. Almost all the art was not blocked off or guarded. They were able to be touched and ruined (or enhanced?) by anyone with a marker or pen. The only security was the occasional gallery security guard who would say not to touch the art. I thought the ropes/string that looked like a piece of glass was very cool because its an illusion and I enjoy that type of stuff, David Blaine being a good example of someone who always uses illusions.

After the gallery, we went to the basement for an interpretive dance. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it too much. Aside from the performance which I didn’t love, the chairs were extremely uncomfortable and for me, its kind of a make or break type thing. I would have been more comfortable standing the entire time. I think comfort is a big part of entertainment (unless the point is to be uncomfortable). Even when I was watching a really cool stunt show at MGM studios in Disney, I couldn’t fully enjoy it because the bleachers were similar to the one at Beacon and if I’m constantly thinking about my back it takes away from the performance. So even though it might sound like I’m complaining a little too much, if the chairs were better I think, for me, the performance would have been better.

To address the actual dance, I didn’t really get it. I couldn’t connect at all with the performance and I had no emotion towards it aside from a slight annoyance at the repetition. After reading the NO manifesto, I might have been doing the right thing by  not feeling anything.

Overall I did not really connect with the whole day. But I’m not going to say that what we saw wasn’t art. I agree that it was art but not everyone likes all art. I, in particular, did not enjoy that style of art. But I will defend its right to be art. Its kind of like that quote from Voltaire, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”