quick hit: Ernesto Neto at the Armory on Park

On Saturday, Brad and I visited the UES Armory on Park to see Ernesto Neto's installation in the gargantuan drill hall.

The Armory is a rare relic in New York, and the drill hall -- formerly a practice hall for New York's Seventh Regiment of the National Guard -- is one of the largest and most overwhelming indoor spaces in Manhattan. I was a member of the publicity machine for its reopening back in 2006, when I was still flacking for the arts; having seen the interiors in rotting disrepair only three years ago, I can't help but get a huge thrill out of seeing this space repurposed as a center for new works. (The building kicked off its new gig as an alternative arts center with a quite-innovative performance by motorcycle-riding artist Aaron Young back in 2007, and has been a raging success ever since.)

Ernesto Neto's installation is quite a coup, inviting intimacy despite its massive scale. From the entrance, it looks like a... well, a giant ethereal caterpillar.


The piece is constructed from hundreds yards of silky material, stretched over a skeleton to create a series of interconnected tunnels beneath. Visitors walk right through the belly of the beast (or, in the case of the approximately 3 million children who were there that afternoon, sprint through it at warp speed while screaming at peak volume).



A surprise: in addition to the tactile aspects of the installation -- just before visiting I read an interview with Neto in which he expressed hope that people would touch the sculpture -- it also smelled. These "stalactites", hanging from the ceiling of both the drill hall and the sculpture's interior, were filled with cloves. Brushing up against them released the scent into the air. Innovative, but a tad unnerving.


Also unnerving: Trying to pretend that the so-called stalactites didn't look awfully... well... scrotal.



Ernesto Neto at the Armory on Park is up through June 14th. If you're in New York, go visit!