Obviously, I couldn't let Alex leave without taking him to see IRCAM.
So that's the L'Espace de Projection, the room with automated, swiveling robot wall panels and over 500 wall mounted, wavefront synchronized speakers.
That's the inside of the anechoic chamber as it looked on the day that Alex and I were in there. Basically we nabbed the key off of some desk but couldn't find the light switch. Actually we found what was probably the light switch but might just as well have been an alarm or some kind of anti-American nerve gas dispenser. In the end we decided not to chance it, but we did make a pretty sweet recording:
We also ended up going back to Centre Pompidou itself since Alex hadn't seen any of the exhibits and since I had never been to the modern section of the permanent collection.
I know there's nothing more predictable or sad than going to a museum and making a personal commitment to pay more attention to the art world, but yes, I was one of those sad predictable people making a list of painters and artwork to look up later. For your benefit, oh gentle reader, I've reproduced that list here:
This one deserves special mention of only because Alex and I sat in front of it and talked about it for what must have been close to an hour. It's a absolutely crushing painting. In it so many effects and ideas exist simultaneously and yet resonate instead of drowning each other out. A rule is established: the structure of the painting will center around a point, and yet the obvious asymmetry of the heaviest elements immediately makes that rule irrelevant. Of course, this violation is simply an extension of the optic distortion caused by the two circular spaces on the right and left. Interestingly enough, these two fields of refraction are both the largest and most ethereal parts of the painting. Anyway, this is the kind of brain-wank Alex and I got to enjoy in front of this painting.
I should mention, there is one thing in this world that breaks Alex, and it is a form of the color blue.
You are looking at a patented shade of blue, IKB or International Klein Blue. It is one of those very silly things that I imagine modern artists invented to infuriate people who are not modern artists. Anyway, don't get Alex anywhere near IKB or he goes sort of dry at the mouth and loses the ability to form vowels.
One last thing I thought I'd mention was this cool line drawing on the contemporary floor.
Just kidding. It's actually a giant play-igloo for grownups that you can walk around inside.
Oh Alex, I'm going to miss you, buddy. Remember that chick we heard playing the didgeridoo outside of Centre Pompidou? Good times. I hope life brings you better fondue than we had on our last night together in Paris.
So that's the L'Espace de Projection, the room with automated, swiveling robot wall panels and over 500 wall mounted, wavefront synchronized speakers.
That's the inside of the anechoic chamber as it looked on the day that Alex and I were in there. Basically we nabbed the key off of some desk but couldn't find the light switch. Actually we found what was probably the light switch but might just as well have been an alarm or some kind of anti-American nerve gas dispenser. In the end we decided not to chance it, but we did make a pretty sweet recording:
We also ended up going back to Centre Pompidou itself since Alex hadn't seen any of the exhibits and since I had never been to the modern section of the permanent collection.
 |
| "And this," Alex explained patiently, "is what's called a 'painting'" |
 |
| The thrill of modern art or spinal thrombosis: YOU DECIDE |
- André Derain - Les Deux: Beautiful example of Fauvism, as well as the influence of photography on painting. As the unusually insightful placard points out, the framing of the two boats reflects a technique common to photography of using false lines of depth and cropped objects to create a sense of perspective.
- Georges Braque - L'Homme à la Guitare: That, my friends, is how you do Cubism.
- Amedeo Modigliani - Gaston Modot: Can't quite put my finger on what I like about this one. I'm willing to bet it's the absurd proportions coupled with the absurd name Gaston.
- František_Kupka - Traits Noirs Enroules
- Fernand Léger - La Noce
- Robert Delauney - Hélice et Rythme: I know that when we talk about painting that inspires music we have to talk about Kandinsky, and of course we will, but nonetheless I want to talk about this painting too, even if putting "rhythm" in the title is a bit of a cop-out.
- Max Ernst - Ubu Imperator: Max Ernst, you're just so fucking great.
- Léon Tutundjian - Composition Cellulaire au Cercle Rouge: Great painting, great man, shitty wikipedia entry. Common Armenian plight.
- Balthus - Alice: WARNING DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK
- Marc Chagall - Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel: Reminds me uncomfortably of The Science of Sleep.
- Wassily Kandisnky - Auf Spitzen: Like I said, I can't look at Kandisnky paintings and not think about music. I mean, don't the forms just cry out to you? Can't you see the melodies, the rhythms, the motifs and structures beating and repeating across time? And really this isn't even the best example...
- Roberto Matta - Xpace and the Ego: Honestly I'd never heard of Matta before today but this painting makes quite an introduction. Alex pointed out that something was happening with color that was masterful if not impossible, and the images clearly belong to a madman.
- Francis Bacon - Three Figures in a Room: Just one of those paintings that makes you say "Nooope, I don't think so."
- Judit Reigl - Ils Ont Soif Insatiable de l'Infini: Judit Reigl is another artist whom I'd never heard of until today. Seemingly under-discovered, her French wikipedia page is skimpy but significantly more extant than her English one.
- Richard Stankiewicz - Diving to the Bottom of the Ocean: Honestly, though, I could have gone to a whole exhibit of just this stuff. Something about organic + scrap metal really gets my juices going.
- Horacio Garcia-Rossi - Movement: It might not be totally clear from this still image but this particular work has, well, movement. What makes it especially cool is that the affect is achieved by completely mechanical means.
- František_Kupka - Autour d'un Point
This one deserves special mention of only because Alex and I sat in front of it and talked about it for what must have been close to an hour. It's a absolutely crushing painting. In it so many effects and ideas exist simultaneously and yet resonate instead of drowning each other out. A rule is established: the structure of the painting will center around a point, and yet the obvious asymmetry of the heaviest elements immediately makes that rule irrelevant. Of course, this violation is simply an extension of the optic distortion caused by the two circular spaces on the right and left. Interestingly enough, these two fields of refraction are both the largest and most ethereal parts of the painting. Anyway, this is the kind of brain-wank Alex and I got to enjoy in front of this painting.
I should mention, there is one thing in this world that breaks Alex, and it is a form of the color blue.
You are looking at a patented shade of blue, IKB or International Klein Blue. It is one of those very silly things that I imagine modern artists invented to infuriate people who are not modern artists. Anyway, don't get Alex anywhere near IKB or he goes sort of dry at the mouth and loses the ability to form vowels.
 |
| Above: A three hour time-lapse video |
Just kidding. It's actually a giant play-igloo for grownups that you can walk around inside.
Oh Alex, I'm going to miss you, buddy. Remember that chick we heard playing the didgeridoo outside of Centre Pompidou? Good times. I hope life brings you better fondue than we had on our last night together in Paris.
 |
| Paris, where they film people eating. |
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