August 26, 2006

MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA (Museum Tour)

WHEN: Saturday, August 26th, 12-5PM
WHERE: MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA

WHAT: The Bring Your Own Voice Museum Tour continues in western Massachusetts in North Adams, a mecca of culture in the Berkshires. I will be collecting opinions on art and the role of museums in today's society.


    - Why did you visit MASS MoCA today?
    - What role does art play in your life?

As always, my intent is not only to learn more about what people think about topics that interest me, but to act as raw material for a musical work.

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Summary:

Number of voices recorded: 40
Reading sheets used: 22
Weather: threatening enough to be inside
Level of success: very high - lots of people, lots of voices
Records broken: most fog driven through AND earliest out of bed AND longest event ever
Photos: Check them out

The booth fit in at MASS MoCA better than anywhere else. I love the visual style of this museum which was resurrected from a number of old mill buildings. The roughness of it is quite a change from some of the other more slick and minimalist contemporary art museums I have seen lately. Aesthetics aside, this was another successful event; lots of voices, lots of interest, lots of times I said "I am a musician and I write music using spoken voices that I am here to collect today using this large plywood box".

I've always liked this area of the Berkshires as it is a great combination of culture and nature. Unfortunately, I didn't get to bike up (and down) Greylock this time like I like to do, but that might be just as well because I have never once done this without getting lost in the woods on the way down.

Thanks very much to everyone at MASS MoCA (Laura and Susan in particular) and to René and Gina who, most importantly, kept me awake while driving, but who also provided additional vital assistance throughout the day.

As usual, click below to access some representative audio clips:

the ACADEMY says...

Van Gogh is a good painter

no music = incredibly boring

intense and disturbing

a beautiful consistency = dull

probably true

youthful laziness

falling like...

art vs. architecture

proximity rules

repression

duet of happenstance

knifing?!

clay earrings

no art = bland

Posted by halsey at August 26, 2006 05:04 PM
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