an evening at the Phoenix Art Museum

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I spent last week in Phoenix training for a potential strike at AT&T. The computer-based training program had an estimated completion time of 77 hours. Needless to say, I felt somewhat pressured to complete the course material over the span of my allotted 5-day period. I managed in just under 44.5 hours thanks to my previous experience at Qwest, which utilizes many of the same legacy systems and procedures.

Tuesday night afforded me the one reward for my head-down week. Every Tuesday is "free" night at the Phoenix art museum, located just around the corner from my hotel. After work, I headed straight for the museum and started with dinner at Arcadia Farms, the in-house restaurant. I ordered the Chicken, Wild Mushroom and Leek Crepes (which included goat cheese on a bed of spinach with a basil cream sauce). The crepes were delicious especially due to the fact that none of the delicate ingredients overpowered one another. It was a wonderful prelude to an overall beautiful gallery experience.

The museum encompasses almost the entire block. It benefits from recent additions that provide an open, airy space. My hotel is located adjacent to the Phoenix Museum of Art.

There was an installation on the top floor by a Japanese artist entitled "You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies." Essentially, it was a narrow corridor with highly reflective surfaces on the ceiling and floor with dark glass walls. The corridor was pitch black except for strings of LEDs that hung from the ceiling and glimmered in computer generated pulsations and patterns. The effect was very unsettling. Initially the darkness is overwhelming and you instinctively freeze for fear of colliding into one of the glass walls. Also, the arrangement of the confined space paradoxically makes you feel you are floating in an infinite sea of flickering (firefly) lights, with no visible support. I actually had to find the exit first, then back into the installation about 5 feet so that I could have a frame of reference to feel more secure. Once I did this I was able to comfortably enjoy the experience. It was AMAZING! I was overwhelmed by the infinite vastness of the darkness and the lights. I was lucky enough to be there by myself for quite a while to enjoy the experience. It was transformative.

I decided to go back after I explored other parts of the museum, but by that time, there was a crowd inside the installation and it suffered from the conversation, noise and presence of other people. Still, I won't be forgetting that experience anytime soon.

Also wonderful was a life-size projection of a white, leaf-less computer-generated tree that swayed to some imaginary wind, compressing and swirling the branches in a way that could not happen in the real world. It, too left an indelible impression upon me.

All in all, I feel very fortunate I was able to be there.

Below is the review for the installation from the Phoenix New Times:

"But take your date to Yayoi Kusama's You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies mixed-media installation with LED lights at Phoenix Art Museum and you will be sure to dazzle your date into a quick first kiss. The installation, housed in the Laurie and Drew Brown Gallery at the top floor of the newly expanded museum, is a dark room with mirrors lining the walls, ceiling, and floor. The only illumination comes from strings of dim lights that dangle from the ceiling and float only one foot above the mirrored floor.
The small light strings dim and fade between colors. The endless reflection creates a space with no visual boundaries that bombards us with an overwhelming sense of thrilling disorientation. Stepping into the seemingly infinite space will take your breath away. With such heightened excitement, latching onto your hot date and making the move is only natural.
And if you're shy about PDA, don't sweat it — Phoenix Art Museum volunteers allow only two people into the installation at a time and don't stick around to watch. And while the temptation may be to make the moment last, there are other people waiting in line to get some — so make it quick."

Lastly, the following URL will take you to a slideshow where you can catch a glimpse of the installation:

http://phxart.org/slideshow/index.html#/COL/72157606315913654/2677484675/