Art Injection - Museum of Modern Art

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A stack of hay in the middle of a room -a slice of home in the name of art in the middle of the New York City Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Some of the exhibits really make you wonder what they were thinking, but at the same time there are some beautiful works and some brilliant ideas. Over 6 floors of exhibits from what appear to be loads of junk to high tech 3-D creations to famous works from artists whose names most of us would recognise - Picasso, Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali.

Its pretty cool to see up close the originals of famous works like Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. But its not just about pictures in frames on walls here. There are films showing changing versions of static, there is a riot of fallic purple balloons in the shape of a boat and a really effective video installation with about 10 screens showing different views of the same action following a guy through his day in different seasons. We pick up audio guides (like wee phones) that tell you some of the background of the works, on demand. Great for when you're puzzling over something, but not guaranteed to necessarily give you a satisfactory answer!

Surprisingly you're actually allowed to take photos in here. But unfortunately a security guard mistakes me for a stuffed toy and informs Tessa that no photos of stuffed toys are allowed in the Museum, as that implies endorsement by them of a brand. Hmmm. So I get a free ride for most of the afternoon, checking out the exhibits from the comfort of her bag and only popping out when the security guards aren't looking.

We wander through a sound installation about passing time. Its in a large room with thin audio panels hanging from the ceiling. As you walk around the room you can hear mixes of each different voice from the audio panels reciting the days of the week.

There's a really interesting display called 'Rising Currents - Planning for Sea Level Rise'. It shows a range of designs for the New York City waterfront to protect the city, but at the same time to utilise the higher level of water and create new habitats for marine life and opportunities for human recreation and transport. Some very creative solutions and displays.

Tessa's favourite section is architecture and design with exhibits like a chandalier created from crockery exploding out from a centre, a hologram light bulb, colourful graphs visualising editing of Wikipedia entries on the internet and solar panels that look like lots of leaves.

There are so many museums and galleries in New York, you could spend weeks visiting them. MOMA is just one of them, but its a place you can lose yourself in, and we do, spending hours looking around, puzzling and admiring and still not really doing it justice.

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Photos

Yayoi Kusama
Hmmm. What's the message?

Abstract Impressionism from Jackson Pollock
Keith has to call his people to work this one out

Frog? what frog?
No product endorsement to be seen here...

Rising Currents - planning for sea level rise
Displays of designs for future NYC waterfront areas

Salvador Dali's famous work
Close inspection shows its not a fake

I call this one...
...Bottoms