Heading south in advance of Fair Hill tomorrow. Sandy is kind enough to offer beds to me and the Saeger clan, so the first stop is Philadelphia. And since I could leave early, it seemed sensible to figure out a little something else to do other than just drive a bunch of miles. And though I have my clubs with me, there was no way they were getting used today as it was about 30F and very windy.
We'd been to Philadelphia last year this time and seen some of the historic part (Liberty Bell, Congress Hall), and driven past the art museum, but it was too late to go in. I took a look at their web site last night, and they were having an exhibit of an artist I'd never heard of,
Arshile Gorky, and it looked interesting enough, so I figured why not.
I took a course in "modern" art in college, maybe the best course I took, the other candidate would be "game theory" (an economics course). And modern meant 20th century, well, 20th century up until the '60s because at that time that's all there was. I'd never heard of Gorky, but the little blurb listed a bunch of influences on him and they were mostly familiar names.
So I got to the museum about 3:15, got my ticket, asked where the exhibit was, and then the guy asked me if I was going to watch the explosion.
Huh?
Yeah, serious, 4:15, outside the front entrance, explosion art, this one called "Falling Petals" by a Chinese guy named
Cai Guo-Qiang.
Why not?
So I went through the Gorky tour, got the audio tape to make it more interesting, quite nice, that got me done about 4, so I figured I better head out, didn't want to be late, also didn't know what the viewing arrangement would be, whether getting there earlier would mean a better view.
Did I say it was cold? Did I say it was windy?
Got outside and around to the front of the museum, the side you see if you're Rocky running up the steps, and there superimposed on the facade was this really big "flower," or at least the outline of a flower with lots of petals, the whole thing maybe 40-60 feet high and equally wide, all held up by some scaffolding behind it.
4:05. Lots of people out there. Lots and lots of cameras and video equipment. No problem with the view because it was all up above us. More and more people arriving (I'd guess there were at least a couple thousand there).
4:10. Five more minutes. Is this thing just going to explode without warning? I have no idea. I look around for a friendly face, everyone is quite bundled up but I manage to chat up a fellow, very friendly, knows a lot about the museum, knows about the "artist," knows that the artist was involved in the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics and is also supposed to be blowing something up when they open the world's tallest building in Dubai, but he doesn't know what's going to happen here and now.
4:15. And just when I think it's about to blow, a guy appears in front of the crowd with a microphone and and via a very good sound system introduces himself as the director of the museum. And talks a little about the project we are about to witness. And then he hands the microphone off to a women who has been responsible for making it happen, and she talks a bit, and it's all interesting enough, but the sky is starting to darken and jesus it's cold and how about hurrying up.
4:20. And by now the artist himself has been introduced, and he talks some, with a young woman translating very efficiently into English, and he is quite charming and funny.
And, he says, here is what's going to happen. First there's going to be a bunch of explosions that's going to light up the whole outline, and that will take 4 seconds. And then the whole thing will be on fire, with white sparkles falling down, and that will take 50 seconds. And then there will be a bunch of really big booms, like thunder, and that will take 2 seconds.
Big anticipation now, also big applause.
4:25. And the last thing he says is that it will happen at 4:30.
It is still not getting warmer. But, considering the fact that so far nothing has happened, it is still really exciting. More people than ever, the sky is getting dark, everyone is checking their cameras.
4:29:30 (on my watch). Another announcement -- "2 minutes." And then "1 minute 30 seconds." And then counting down every ten seconds until we get to 10-9-8.... and the whole crowd is counting down together.
And then wow! Booms and flashes and fire and smoke and more booms and more flashes and more fire and more smoke, and the whole thing is now burning. And that was just 4 seconds.
Lots of oohs and aahs from the crowd. Lots of fire, lots of smoke rising up into the sky. Slowly the fires mellow a little, and mellow a little more, and then, I suppose it's probably right about 50 seconds, the fires are just about out, and then suddenly, and really really loud....
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM (I think there were 5 of them, sure am glad I knew they were coming or I might have peed my pants).
More oohs and aahs and then a huge round of applause. And then we all rushed back into the warm museum just as fast as we could.
Art was never like this when I was growing up.