Event 2: The Broad Museum
Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting The Broad museum in DTLA. Although The Broad is filled with countless fascinating artworks, I had been looking forward to seeing Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room - The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away the most.
The Infinity Room is the perfect example of Snow's idea of the rise of the "Third Culture," as the exhibit blends, somewhat inconspicuously, the arts and science. Visually, it is obvious that Kusama's shimmering, multi-colored hanging lights are composed to be very dotty and convey a sense of endlessness, like the universe and the stars - an intentional, beautiful composition that is pleasing to the eyes, like how art is stereotyped. However, these LED lights, these dots, are inspired by Kusama's experience with science. In her youth, she experienced realistic, terrifying hallucinations that were filled with flashes of lights and dots that would become flowers that would come to life, multiply, and engulf her - a process that she aptly label as "self-obliteration." While on the surface it appears that Kusama's artwork is purely aesthetic, it is the integration of science that further compounds the layered meanings behind the Infinity Room.
In regards to my personal interpretation of the exhibit, I believe that Kusama's message is one that speaks to how all humans - despite the differences in socioeconomic, racial, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences - have the same value as individuals, that individuals are often too focused upon themselves. Kusama's exhibit is a rectangular room made up of lights and full-length mirrors as walls, which reflect upon each other. That means that no matter where you stand, you will also always see the back of yourself in the corner of your eye. Combined with the sense of endlessness found in the room, you feel energized, and awed looking at "The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away." Essentially, each of these lights represent a person who used to be alive. The abundance of metaphorical people illuminates how small you are in the timeline of the universe, how insignificant you are. Additionally, because you can always see your back, it is symbolic of the fact that while we always look ahead and see ourselves as the center of the universe, both in the Infinity Room and in real life, the reality is that we often fail to try to understand those around us. As metaphorically symbolized by the uniformity in lights, in this room of pondering and boundlessness, we begin to understand that we are all, at the core, one and the same. It is in this realization and the 45 seconds you are allowed in this room that you find a greater awareness of the people around you, that you obliterate your old understanding of the world.
All in all, I highly recommend going to the Broad and visiting the Infinity Room, although you will have to reserve a time slot for the Infinity Room. Tickets are free and it is a lot of fun!
The Infinity Room is the perfect example of Snow's idea of the rise of the "Third Culture," as the exhibit blends, somewhat inconspicuously, the arts and science. Visually, it is obvious that Kusama's shimmering, multi-colored hanging lights are composed to be very dotty and convey a sense of endlessness, like the universe and the stars - an intentional, beautiful composition that is pleasing to the eyes, like how art is stereotyped. However, these LED lights, these dots, are inspired by Kusama's experience with science. In her youth, she experienced realistic, terrifying hallucinations that were filled with flashes of lights and dots that would become flowers that would come to life, multiply, and engulf her - a process that she aptly label as "self-obliteration." While on the surface it appears that Kusama's artwork is purely aesthetic, it is the integration of science that further compounds the layered meanings behind the Infinity Room.
In regards to my personal interpretation of the exhibit, I believe that Kusama's message is one that speaks to how all humans - despite the differences in socioeconomic, racial, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences - have the same value as individuals, that individuals are often too focused upon themselves. Kusama's exhibit is a rectangular room made up of lights and full-length mirrors as walls, which reflect upon each other. That means that no matter where you stand, you will also always see the back of yourself in the corner of your eye. Combined with the sense of endlessness found in the room, you feel energized, and awed looking at "The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away." Essentially, each of these lights represent a person who used to be alive. The abundance of metaphorical people illuminates how small you are in the timeline of the universe, how insignificant you are. Additionally, because you can always see your back, it is symbolic of the fact that while we always look ahead and see ourselves as the center of the universe, both in the Infinity Room and in real life, the reality is that we often fail to try to understand those around us. As metaphorically symbolized by the uniformity in lights, in this room of pondering and boundlessness, we begin to understand that we are all, at the core, one and the same. It is in this realization and the 45 seconds you are allowed in this room that you find a greater awareness of the people around you, that you obliterate your old understanding of the world.
All in all, I highly recommend going to the Broad and visiting the Infinity Room, although you will have to reserve a time slot for the Infinity Room. Tickets are free and it is a lot of fun!
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