Our visit to the MoMA’s exhibit on punk rock was very interesting. The purpose of the exhibit was to inform viewers of the history of this anti-establishment genre of music. Punk rock originated as a way to rebel against the Vietnam War, which was raging on as this form of music began to take shape.
As you enter the exhibit, you are immediately drawn to the collage of newspaper and magazine clippings pasted along the wall. These pieces convey certain information about various punk rock bands that were popular in the time, such as Kiss and Aerosmith. After viewing this part of the exhibit, you make your way to an area where various music from the time is being played. Records are enclosed in cases along the wall, with other various memorabilia from the time being displayed. At the end of the exhibit, you are shown a video of a “game,” where two people move two stones at a time. This video was very odd because you do not know what the purpose of it actually is. However, it can be assumed that the sound of the rocks being put back on the ground is the music in the video.
The exhibit was quite short and the opposite of what punk rock stood for. Punk rock originated in garages, as a way to rebel against the “establishment.” However, MoMA has taken artifacts from punk rock and encased them in an “establishment.” The exhibit was clean and white, while punk rock stemmed from dirty old garages. Regardless, the exhibit itself was very interesting as it explained the history of punk rock in New York City.
