Lost in Art land

review by Chloe Hoang

3/15/17

            One of the biggest and most extraordinary art museum lies in the middle of nowhere. And it is not an exaggeration like your daily jokes with friends, it is actually a hundred percent in the middle of nowhere. Before becoming an art museum, Mass MOCA was a factory. The way the artist use the big space is quite amazing. They feel no need to hide the pipes sticking out or the old brick walls that are only partially painted. They went along with the old factory design in the hallways and some rooms. The place has its own old, abandoned vibe that is very unique but can be a bit scary at times.

           Walking through the first floor of the humongous Mass MOCA, one can not not notice the oddly shaped, cracked-egg-like pencil piece of art hanging from the tall ceiling. The Periphery of Perception by Tyler and Trevor Oakes hypnotize anyone that pass the room by its intriguing. If one were to have a quick look, the piece is simply the view of a theatre from the stage on a curved board. But the closer and longer one were to look at the piece, one will realize the that on top of the actually drawing, the shading is done completely by overlapped circles of different sizes. This gives the piece a very interesting fishnet effect, making the viewer look for long, and the longer the look, the more confused they may be because they will get the shading and the actual drawing mixed together. The view that Tyler and Trevor Oakes brings is so unique. It is like seeing a broad 3D view through a reverse fisheye mirror. The perception the Oakes brother is can hypnotize you, not just by how confusing the thousands of small details are, but also by how beautiful it is.

           

Keep on strolling, and one will reach a long bright hallway. It is not just the line of window that brings light to the room, but it is the incredible ceiling of LED lights in the shape of the milky way. The piece Cosmic Latte by Spencer Finch stands out even during daytime with the sun shinning in. Walking under the lights, one would feel like they are magically walking under a sky full of star during daylight. At night, when there is only milky way of LED lights, the piece looks even more beautiful. Being under the piece at night time, one would most certainly feel like they are floating in the sky full of stars. If one were to to say that flying is not possible, then they need to walk under Cosmic Latte by night to be proven wrong.

            Mass MOCA is an unbelievable place that holds art of all periods of time. Wandering around in the museum, one will definitely forget about the concept of time or reality, because they would be too occupied with the fortune of incredible artworks.