MIA visit
I was a little startled by the installation at first. It has mirrors, video, and many other elements that are difficult to take in all at once. I quickly realized that I needed to take my time looking at all the different elements of the piece in order to get a better understanding of it. I liked how the artist chose to let the museum-goers to walk across the "river." This interaction increases excitement about the work. The use of sound was also unique and interesting; I rarely encounter pieces that use sound.
I saw the horses' heads behind the blocks before I went into the other room and saw the horses rotating on the pedestals. I have to admit that this element was jarring. Even though the horses weren't gory, the fact that the horses' heads had been cut off and then scattered in another room was, well, creepy. It added to the ominous mood of the entire installation.
As I walked through the rooms and looked at all the various elements, I felt as though I was trying to solve a mystery, in a way. What does this piece mean? How does it fit in with that piece over there? What's the message? I felt like I was snooping for clues and that if I looked long and hard enough it would all make sense to me.
I went upstairs to look at the contemporary art and then came back downstairs to revisit the exhibit. One of the biggest differences between the two areas was the color of the walls. I was suprisef just how big a difference painting the walls white or black can be. Usually a museum has white walls so that the art can stand out and the wall color doesn't detract from the effects of the piece. I realized that the black color of the walls in the installation was a integral part of the artwork. Imagine how different the installation would be if the walls were painted white! The exhibit would be much brighter and thus less mysterious and intriguing. Another key difference I noted was the sheer enormity of the installation as opposed to the artwork in the other areas of the museum. All the other paintings were quite small -- the River of Infinity was enormous, taking up two rooms' worth of space.
My family doesn't go to museums very often and I know their first reaction to this piece would be "I don't get it." I would describe the various elements: the mirrors, the horses, the rocks, the astrology charts, the portraits, etc. It would be difficult to explain to them exactly how all these elements all fit together because I myself don't completely understand the artist's intentions. I would say that the overall effect of the exhibit was a spooky one, and that you have to make your own interpretations about what the exhibit "means."