2009 Guggenheim International Gala Celebrates 50th Anniversary |
 |
 |
| Written by Nathan Nobles |
| Thursday, 27 August 2009 00:54 |
|
In addition, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s new performance installation, Levels of Nothingness, commissioned and produced by Works & Process at the Guggenheim, will premiere with two 25-minute performances at 8 pm and 10 pm. The evening will begin with cocktails at 7 pm in the rotunda and in the newly opened Cafe 3 space overlooking Central Park. The spiraling ramps will offer a preview of Kandinsky, a major exhibition of almost 100 paintings and more than 60 works on paper by Vasily Kandinsky, a pioneer of abstraction and an artist whose work was collected in depth by Solomon R. Guggenheim. Music will be provided by Dustin O’Halloran, whose piano compositions were featured in Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette, along with a string quartet.  Peter Hoffman of the SoHo restaurant Savoy, long recognized for its
commitment to sustainable agriculture, is preparing a special menu showcasing
seasonal organic ingredients from local farms. A pristine white decor with
Swarovski crystals designed by Michael Gabellini of Gabellini Sheppard
Associates will provide a backdrop for the bright spectrum of the Kandinsky
canvases in the exhibition and the guests’ suggested attire, black tie with
colors inspired by Kandinsky. Before or after dinner, guests are invited to the museum’s Peter B. Lewis Theater for the debut of Levels of Nothingness. Inspired by Kandinsky’s The Yellow Sound (1912), Mexicanborn Rafael Lozano-Hemmer creates an installation where colors derive automatically from the human voice to generate an interactive light performance. Isabella Rossellini will read seminal philosophical texts on skepticism, color, and perception, while her voice is analyzed by computers that control a full rig of rock-and-roll concert lighting. The audience will have the opportunity to test the color-generating microphone as well. As a gift from the Guggenheim to its friends and supporters, a limited-edition art object, a miniature organ emitting both music and light by Peter Coffin entitled Clavier à lumières, will be given to all guests. Complementing Kandinsky’s explorations of synaesthesia, the New York-based Coffin’s work reimagines the notion of a unified sensory experience, operating as an instrument of integrated color, light, and sound. The annual Gala was the recent recipient of three awards at the 2008 New York Event Style Awards for its transformation of a raw parking garage for the 2007 Guggenheim International Gala. Funds raised from the 2009 Gala will support the exhibitions and programming at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
Related Articles :
