Last week, I went to the New Museum to see the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibition. I saw subway ads and read information online that intrigued me. The Carsten Holler Experience is different from many other museum exhibitions because it is interactive.
The main attraction was (Untitled) Slide. There was a 20 minute line wait to go down the slide when I visited the museum. Approaching the slide, I had to wear and helmet and sit in a fabric sack. After pushing myself forward, I laid back, pointed my chin down, and held my hands forward. I went down the slide much quicker than I expected. It surprised me. The turns were very fast and strong. In less than 20 seconds, I slid down three floors in a clear tube. Museum visitors on lower floors watched me zip down the slide. It was a dizzying yet thrilling experience.
In addition to riding the slide, I sat on a carousel, walked through a curving tunnel, and laid on a bench to view living fish backwards. The second floor of the museum was very interesting as the whole floor was lit by flashing lights. Around the corner of the second floor were a series of dimly lit rooms. The first one had a bench in front of two televisions that flashed alternately every second (Dora the Explorer and a news broadcast). The second room had a school desk with directions taped onto it. At this station, visitors are prompted to hold a pen to their arm and follow instructions. The result is the feel of pictures being drawn on your arm. In the next room was a bottle of a love potion and a sign next to it that asked visitors to open the cap to smell it. I didn’t smell anything. A couple other rooms followed. Then, behind the rooms, up the stairs, was a huge tank filled with white capsules and a water cooler next to the tank. If you pleased to do so, you could take a pill there. The capsule had no effect. It was merely a placebo.
The whole exhibition was very unconventional, psychological and mind-boggling. An experience it was. It had me questioning everything, including the conventions of traditional art and museums.
Unfortunately, most of the exhibition is now closed and the Slide (which stayed open a week longer due to popular demand) will be closing on the 22nd.
Also, if you’ve noticed: these images I took are edited. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with photo-editing as an addition to my photography and art-making. But more of that in another post. I assure you. I am enjoying photo-editing very much.
