Another Brooklyn Museum post? Yes! Actually, I’ve been holding this post back for a while because I was too lazy to edit my horrible photos of this exhibition. But now that I realized that the exhibition will be closing very soon on August 26th, I decided to finally get to it.
There is a current exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum called “Playing House.” This installation, according to the website, aims to engage visitors with the museum’s period rooms. Four artists were invited to temporarily re-interpret the rooms. One of the installation artists, Betty Woodman says that art is about confronting the past, however, no one can enter it. But with the “Playing House” project, the past is appropriated, through make-believe. [source] This idea is innovative and, well, playful.
(Please excuse the horrible quality of my photos. It was dark, I couldn’t use flash, I couldn’t use a tripod, and my camera knowledge was more limited back then. So, almost all of the photos are digitally edited.)
Each artist took different takes on the rooms and you can easily recognize their styles. While I think they are interesting and give a funky spin on the elegant, stately period rooms, and while I think you should definitely see them for their novelty factor, I’m not a huge fan of the exhibition. I guess they just didn’t suit my taste. But if you have seen the rooms at the Brooklyn Museum before, you should definitely come back and witness the transformation. And if you’ve never seen them before, and have the time, you should check out the transformations now and revisit later to see them in their normal state (because seeing the difference is cool and the original rooms are fantastic as well).
The rooms are all on the fourth floor and they’re kind of hidden, scattered around. The pathways are narrow, dark, creaky, and quiet. The area is usually empty, no traffic. And because of all the dim lighting, you sometimes forget that it’s still bright outside. Walking alone through the period rooms though is an experience, albeit a spooky experience (particularly now with the transformations).
For the Rockefeller Moorish smoking room, Anne Chu added the vase of flowers on the table in the center and a vulture standing below. The piece is titled, Birds of Prey (Vulture). It is a small yet significant change.
As for Colonel Milligan’s house parlor and library, the changes are huge. Ann Agee’s piece, Agee MFG Co. Brooklyn Outlet Store, uses various media to completely alter the mood. It is instantly noticeable and the clashing of the odd and vibrant additions with the old and grand furniture gives me an uncomfortable feeling, which could quite possibly be the artist’s aim. Admittedly, I do not know the meaning behind any of these transformations (though I can come up with my own interpretation). Also in contrast to the previous room, this room is inherently brighter in terms of lighting. An interesting thing to point out are the peeling wallpaper strips. When I first looked at the room, I looked right past them, thinking that they were a part of the design. But then I realized that maybe it was actually poor installation. Haha. I don’t know which is the correct explanation. But it is what it is. On the table in the parlor are three sculptures on sort-of cake stands with glass covers. The sculptures appear to be fetuses. And the whole
image of containing odd babies is freaky. That and the bidets, the paraphernalia (not pictured here), and the strange vase-like porcelain sculptures give me an unsettling feeling. I do, however, like the sewing man figurine (as you can probably tell, seeing as I used it as the featured image). And at the end of this set is a photo I threw in of the mirror across from this room. It is an absolutely gorgeous piece and paired with the beautiful hanging lamp, it looks stunning yet haunting.
Next are the Schenck houses taken from Canarsie, back when it was all marshland. The house was reconstructed in the museum space. But with the Playing House exhibition going on, the lights have been completely turned off in this area with only a few video screens projecting light and sound, namely music. This big area is usually well-lit so seeing it in the dark is a whole new experience, and an exciting one at that. Especially with the nice music playing in the background. But it does get spooky with no one around. There are two Schenck houses. The red one has two “doorway” viewing areas into the house. The second, blue, house though allows you to walk into it, peering through the various rooms. This house is particularly creepy. Almost all of the rooms have tens and tens of portraits sitting around, staring at you and some very strange videos playing. The furniture of dining room in the Jan Martense Schenck house (red) was rearranged/taken out, leaving basically just a table (with an added tablecloth), a chair, and a monitor playing a video. In the bedroom/parlor area, the table now holds food and a bright vase. Light also shines particularly at the table.
On to the period rooms from the South: they are brightly lit and give off a completely different mood. Anne Chu and Betty Woodman tackle these rooms. These rooms evoke a more flowery, dainty vibe, due to the warm colors used in the transformations. These plantation houses are also roomier and warmer in their original state. The layout of the rooms in the Brooklyn Museum is like a one floor house, with rooms blocked off with glass. You walk on wooden floors and can see stairways (that don’t actually lead up to anywhere). Included in my set of photos are some of the period rooms that weren’t transformed. But I thought that they were a nice addition for you to visualize.
So, sorry for the explosion of photos. But, I hope they all persuade to visit the real exhibition soon! And while you’re at the Brooklyn Museum, definitely check out the rest of the exhibits. There are some really cool ones on display right now. This is one of my favorites museums and I’m not just saying that because I work there. Haha.
