Song 1 @ Hirshhorn

As a reminder to myself - and anyone else who might be interested in this - Doug Aitken's Song 1 is still on view nightly at the Hirshhorn through May 20. The Washington Post approved recently of its extension by another week. (It was originally set to end on May 13.)



Geeta Dayal, moreover, in an April 18 review for Wired was also full of high praise for Song1: "Wrapping the outside of a circular building in seamless 360-degree video projections took some work. But with Song 1, artist Doug Aitken transforms the drab concrete exterior of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., into a one-of-a-kind audiovisual spectacle."

(Let's just overlook her use of the word "drab" in this context - native Washingtonians do not like to hear "drab" applied to any structure within, or aspect of, their city. We get a little sensitive about stuff like that.) 

Friends of mine who have checked this out say it's pretty cool. Aitken projects film clips and images on to the Hirshhorn, using the circular outer shell of this modern art museum as a movie screen of sorts.

"The Hirshhorn 360-degree projection is a new form of film ... one that defies categorization." - Doug Aitken

So now this spectacle is still on view every night through May 20 after the sun sets (my favorite time of day - I have always loathed mornings and loved nights).

Among the "related events" listed on the museum's website, there is a funky Happening tonight (Friday, May 11) from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Hirshhorn featuring live performances. (You can buy $25 tickets to this Happening here.)

Metropolitain @ NGA Sculpture Garden

This striking Hector Guimard "Metropolitain" Paris Metro station entrance, with its Art Nouveau flourishes, fits perfectly into the garden with its organic forms. I defy anyone NOT to like this.

Photos by Karen Carstens

There are so many interesting angles hidden among the endless twists and curves of this Guimard masterpiece.

I really could really never tire of looking at it! (Except when the park is overflowing with tons of folks during the summertime Jazz in the Park concert series, which is fun, but can get CROWDED! I prefer the park in its more peaceful, "normal" state, with DC residents and tourists alike trickling in and out of this beautiful oasis right off the National Mall - it really is a sculpture garden intended for the entire nation to enjoy!)

 FYI the Hirshhorn's sculpture garden is also interesting.

Suprasensorial @ Hirshhorn

The Hirshhorn (Flickr user Matt/Wikimedia Commons)

If you're in search of a sensory experience combining light, color and space, you may want to visit the Hirshhorn's new SUPRASENSORIAL show, featuring works by five Latin American artists.

"The Light and Space movement is often considered as emerging in the United States in the late 1960s and 1970s," the HIRSHHORN states on its website.

"Almost a decade earlier, Latin American artists were creating environments of light and color that challenged traditional standards of art as a static experience."

This show, which opened on February 23, runs through May 13, 2012.

Let there be light!